Within These Walls
by tremolux
Summary: Stefan finds himself trapped in the tomb with Katherine. With nowhere to hide, they are forced to deal with each other while their emotions and sanity run wild. "Hate" sounds like the beginning of a love story.
1. The Sacrifice

**WITHIN THESE WALLS**

**CHAPTER 1: THE SACRIFICE**

* * *

Leaves crunched underfoot as Elena ran through the dark woods and descended into the entrance of the tomb. Once Jeremy had told her about the incident, she only had one thing on her mind: _getting to Stefan_.

"_Stefan!_" Elena called out. "Stefan!" Elena didn't get far, as Damon was there to pull her away before she did something incredibly stupid.

"_Don't you dare!_" Damon warned.

"Stefan's in there, Damon!" she gasped. "How could you let this happen?"

Damon held her back. "What are you talking about? I was too busy _saving you_ from your crazy kamikaze mission!"

"You didn't even have to go after the moonstone in the first place!" Elena argued.

"It was the right call, Elena!" Damon stood his ground.

"_Right call?_ How is any of this the right call?" Elena was fuming mad, but Damon refused to give her an inch. "Damon, _let go of me!_" Elena shouted. "Damon... let go of me!"

Damon held Elena back against the wall of the tomb entrance. He let her throw her fit, and absorbed her pummelling fists like a bag of sand. "Let go of me... please." She was breathlessly desperate to get inside the tomb where Stefan was trapped. Both Damon and Elena were oblivious to the fact that Stefan and Katherine were just within earshot, listening to everything.

Damon remained unflinching. "You done?" he asked. When Elena finally cooled off, he pulled his hands away. She made one last attempt towards the tomb, but Damon shunned her. Defeated, Elena gave up and left in a huff, disappearing into the darkness of the night. Damon took a breath and turned towards the tomb door to see his brother approaching.

"Of all the idiot plans, _Stefan_..." Damon said. "I'll find a way to get you out."

Stefan nodded timidly. "Ah, that's alright. I'll handle myself... Bonnie has the moonstone. Work with her; try to figure out how to de-spell it."

"You martyr yourself into a tomb and I get partnered with a semi-competent witch," Damon remarked. "Wonderful."

"Keep Elena away from here," Stefan pleaded.

"_Yeah!_ Cause that'll be _easy_..." Damon remarked with sarcastic flair.

"Promise me," Stefan said. "No matter what happens... you'll protect her." Damon already would protect Elena at any cost, and really didn't need any encouragement from Stefan.

"Promise," Damon said with conviction. The Salvatores shared their brotherly moment, and then Damon walked out of the tomb.

* * *

Katherine sauntered up behind Stefan, her little black party dress showing signs of wear from the unforgiving environment. "That right there was the biggest mistake you've ever made," she proudly stated. Stefan turned around and walked back into the dimly lit tomb, shuffling his feet, kicking at pebbles, feeling defeated and a little bit foolish. Katherine followed him, pushing his buttons along the way. "That was a passionate little lovers quarrel they just had there. Damon and Elena really make a wonderful couple. Don't you agree, Stefan?"

Stefan smiled reluctantly. "You played me like a fiddle," he said. "Didn't you?"

Katherine was delighted. "What did you expect from me? Sure, keeping Jeremy around as a blood doll would have been great fun, but the look on your face alone made the trade totally worth it."

"And now I'm stuck in here for _who knows_ how long," Stefan said. He looked around at the tomb walls in despair. The stone-cold reality of the situation hit him hard. His selflessness had just cost him his _freedom_, and more importantly, the ability to protect Elena during these difficult times.

"Don't act so disappointed," Katherine playfully scolded. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

"No," Stefan said plainly.

"Then why did you jump in the tomb?" Katherine teased. "You knew very well you'd be trapped with me." She loved playing these little games with Stefan.

"I wasn't about to let you kill Jeremy," Stefan said.

"Well, for one thing, he couldn't die with that ring on," Katherine pointed out.

"It's not like I had much of a choice in the matter," Stefan said, frustrated.

"Of course you had _a choice_," Katherine teased. "You _chose_ to join me. Let's call a spade a spade."

Stefan stared her down. "No, Katherine. It's called a sacrifice... a selfless act," he said proudly, "a concept that you're entirely incapable of understanding."

Katherine laughed. "Fine, Saint Stefan, cling to your excuses. But we both know you ended up in here because deep down, it's where you really _want_ to be."

Stefan rolled his eyes. "So you're a psychologist now? Give me a break."

"Think about it, Stefan," Katherine said. "You knew very well that you couldn't protect your _precious Elena_ if you got trapped in here. And now here you are!"

Stefan shook his head and looked at the floor. "That's what devastates me... Elena's in trouble and there's nothing I can do about it now."

"Don't worry about Elena." Katherine tried to console him. "She's in good hands... _Damon's_." Stefan stared at her with contempt.

"How about we establish a few ground rules?" Stefan suggested. "You stay on your side of the tomb, and I'll stay on mine."

Katherine smiled. "_No rules_, Stefan. You know that about me," she said. "We could be in here for weeks... _months_ even. Why not just _enjoy_ each other?"

Stefan became angered. "Is this all a big _joke_ to you? Elena's life is in danger and you take away my ability to help her. As if you haven't done enough damage already..."

"Oh sure, it's _all my fault_," Katherine mocked. "You should have thought of poor little Elena _before_ you played the hero."

Stefan's anger quickly faded to depression. He shook his head and turned away. "I _can't believe_ this is happening..." He sighed.

"Sounds like someone's having a rough day," Katherine said, moving closer to him. "Want to talk about it?"

"I have nothing to say to you, Katherine," Stefan said. "Unless you know a way I can get out of here, I'm not interested in talking."

Katherine inched her way up behind Stefan and put her hands on his shoulders. "How about a massage then? You're all tense..."

Stefan shrugged her off and stepped away. "Don't touch me!"

"What are you so afraid of?" Katherine cooed. "It's not like anyone will walk in on us."

Stefan looked annoyed. Katherine smiled. She enjoyed teasing him like this.

"You know the best way to get two animals to breed, Stefan?" Katherine continued. "Put them in captivity together."

"We're _not_ animals, Katherine," Stefan reminded her.

"But we could be..." Katherine teased, "_in bed._"

Stefan nodded and held back a chuckle. "Very funny. So that's your little game? You trap me in here, hoping to seduce me?"

"No," Katherine said. "I just wanted to spend some time with you. But I do wish you would admit that you still love me."

"I hate you," he said coldly. Katherine tried to hide the hurt.

"Fine line," she said.

Stefan scoffed. "Don't hold your breath. I love Elena."

"But you can still love me, too," Katherine said sweetly, getting up in his face. "Your secret is safe with me."

Stefan backed away. "Give it up, Katherine. I'm totally over you."

"You're such a _liar__!_" Katherine fired back. "If anything, Elena is living proof that you're _not_ over me. At the very least, the physical attraction is still burning strong."

Stefan turned away. "Fair enough, I guess. But you're forgetting who you're dealing with. I'm _Mr. Self Control_."

Katherine became frustrated. "You look more like _Mr. Self Destruct_ from where I'm standing. You're a ticking time bomb of emotions, and _I can't wait_ to watch you _explode_."

Stefan dusted off an area on the floor and laid on his back, resting his head against the terribly unyielding stone floor, and he closed his eyes. He could sense Katherine moving closer to him. "Just keep your distance," he warned. She picked out a spot about ten feet away from Stefan and sat. The tomb became dead silent.

"You're just going to lay there?" Katherine asked, breaking the silence.

"Yup," Stefan said.

"Want to talk?" Katherine asked.

"What's the point?" Stefan groaned.

"Just to keep each other company..." Katherine offered. "I'm really glad you came to visit me, even though you're about as exciting as watching the mildew grow."

"Just leave me alone." Stefan sighed.

"Why are you so afraid of me?" Katherine asked.

"I'm not," he said.

"Then what's the harm in talking?" she asked.

"I'm _done_ talking," Stefan said, as he stared up into the blackness of the tomb ceiling.

"I think I get it," Katherine said. "You're afraid of yourself. Of what you might do."

"Look, whatever your plan is... whatever you're trying to do to me, it won't work. So just give it a rest," Stefan concluded with a sigh. "I'm tired." Stefan closed his eyes, and eventually drifted off to sleep.


	2. Bittersweet Dreams

**WITHIN THESE WALLS**

**CHAPTER 2: BITTERSWEET DREAMS**

* * *

Stefan was in high spirits as he stepped onto the green grass of the front lawn and walked up to the Gilbert's house. Since he had gotten out of the tomb unexpectedly, he thought he would surprise Elena with a visit. Stefan was grateful to be free again, and he was sure Elena would be overjoyed to see him, but as he stepped onto the porch, he stopped and stood still. Stefan heard the sound of raucous laughter coming from inside the house, and within a few seconds, he recognized that it was _Elena's_ laughter. Stefan just stood there and listened for a minute, enjoying what a sweet sound it was. Elena rarely had any fun since her parents died, and with all of the mayhem going on lately, it was even more difficult for her to loosen up. Stefan quietly opened the front door and silently entered the house. She was still laughing and clearly having a blast. He was curious to see what the deal was without interrupting her fun, so he silently moved towards the living room where her voice projected from.

Elena laughed hysterically. "_Let go of me! Not again!_" She laughed. "No, don't! I can't take it!" She laughed uncontrollably.

Stefan was too curious now. He had to get a closer look, so he sneaked up around the corner and took a peek. That's when he saw her, and that's when his smile completely vanished, and his heart sank to his feet. It was one of his worst fears come to life: he saw Elena, her face vibrant, happy, and full of life; and she was laughing and having fun like a carefree schoolgirl... _with Damon_.

"I always knew you would be _incredibly ticklish_," Damon teased. "The truth finally comes out!" He had Elena cornered on the couch and he tickled her into a hysterical frenzy, while she playfully fought him off with a pillow.

"_Damon! Let go of me!_" Elena laughed. "Let go of me!"

"Oh, you know I could _never_ do that," Damon teased. "I have to protect you, all day, _every day_... no matter how much _fun_ you might have in the process." Elena grabbed Damon by the collar, closed her eyes, and pulled his face to hers, until their lips met.

Stefan couldn't watch any more. He was too devastated. There clearly was an intimacy and a fiery passion between Elena and Damon that was something special. Stefan never found that kind of passion with her, as much as he wanted to. He tried to ignore the signs for a while, but now it was blowing up right in his face. Stefan slipped out the front door as quietly as he'd arrived, but as he stepped onto the porch and unwittingly walked right into the waiting arms of Katherine. He just stood there, locked in her embrace, as he was already too traumatized and shocked to resist.

"It hurts, doesn't it..." Katherine said. "Now you know how I feel, seeing you with her."

Stefan attempted to speak but he couldn't form any words. He was too emotionally shattered.

"Let her go," Katherine said softly. "They belong together, _just like we do_." Katherine took Stefan's face in her hands, and pulled him close until their lips touched, and she kissed him, but he was unresponsive and his stare was vacant. Katherine looked into his eyes. "This is how it's _meant to be_, Stefan. It's time for you to **wake up** and _see the truth_."

* * *

Stefan awoke with a gasp. He was lying on the cold stone floor of the tomb, amidst all of the pebbles and dust, but to his surprise, he was not alone; Katherine was lying against him, her head nestled cozily against his chest. "Good morning, lover," she said, yawning. "Sweet dreams?"

Stefan quickly figured that Katherine had manipulated his dreams. One thing that bothered Stefan the most was how Katherine would invade his thoughts and plant images and ideas in his mind. She had fun messing with his thoughts whenever she got the chance, and it was quickly becoming one of her favorite hobbies. Katherine knew _exactly_ how to push Stefan's buttons, and he resented that.

Stefan rolled Katherine off of his chest without hesitation, and he stood up. "Stay out of my head, Katherine!" He pointed his finger, accentuating the seriousness of his demand.

Katherine sat up, threw her hair back, and smiled fiendishly. "You know I've already taken up _permanent_ residence there!"

Just then, the two were startled by a third voice echoing off the stone walls. Stefan was thankful for such a timely distraction, as Katherine was already getting on his nerves. "Stefan? Rise and shine!" Damon shouted into the tomb. "Where are you? Come on, it's almost noon!" Stefan made his way to the door, and Katherine followed closely behind, hoping to get some blood out of the deal. "How are you holding up?" Damon asked his brother.

"All things considered, I'm fine..." Stefan said.

Damon gave Katherine the evil eye, and she returned it. "What's the matter Damon?" Katherine asked dreamily. "Jealous that I spent the night with Stefan?" She threw her arms around Stefan, who immediately pushed her away.

Damon tossed a bulging camper's backpack past the tomb's invisible seal. "I brought you this care package. Candles, lanterns..." From behind his back, he pulled out a bottle filled with blood, flipped it in the air and caught it. "And... lunch!"

"Give that to me, and I'm just going to have to share it with her," Stefan said. Katherine twirled her hair. It looked like she _wouldn't_ get to feed after all.

Damon looked puzzled at the predicament. "Yeah..." He kept the bottle in hand. "Once we deal with this moonstone, we'll figure a way to get you out."

"Don't worry about me," Stefan urged his brother. "Just make sure Elena's safe." Katherine rolled her eyes.

Damon nodded, and left. Stefan picked up the care package and carried it back into the tomb, and Katherine followed. "_Just make sure Elena's safe_," Katherine mocked in a high-pitched whine, playing back Stefan's words. "Doesn't it bother you that your brother is _in love_ with your girl?"

"Wouldn't be the first time," Stefan said. He knew it was extremely important for him to stay strong and not show any weaknesses. Katherine was so dominant that he couldn't afford to give her _anything_ that she might use to get to his head.

"But it has to make you wonder..." she said, "maybe by the time you get out of here, _if you ever_ get out of here... Elena's feelings may have changed. Maybe she wants to give _the other brother_ a chance."

Memories of last night's dream came back to haunt Stefan, but he tried to bury them in the back of his mind. "No," he said, shaking his head. "Elena wouldn't do that."

"What makes you so sure?" Katherine asked.

Stefan looked irritated. "Well, for one thing, _she's not you_."

Katherine laughed. "You really have to keep reminding yourself, don't you?"

Stefan looked even more annoyed, and he didn't answer.

"Come on, admit it," Katherine said. "You heard the way they were last night. There's _something going on_ between them and you know it. It's only a matter of time before Elena realizes her feelings for Damon. And with you stuck in here, it might happen sooner rather than later."

Stefan tried to ignore her, but he had been feeling insecure lately. He couldn't deny what he noticed between Elena and Damon. "I'm not worried," he lied.

Katherine sauntered around Stefan and tried to get her hands on his shoulders, but he shrugged her off. "We really do have a beautiful situation here, Stefan," Katherine went on. "Elena and Damon get to fall in love _out there_, while you and I get to rediscover our love _in here_."

"Don't get your hopes up," Stefan said. "I'll be out of here soon enough."

"Meanwhile, we're starving ourselves? We're so pious..." Katherine mocked.

"The pleasure I get from watching you suffer is greater than any pain I'll ever feel," Stefan shot back.

"Since when did you become so sadistic, Saint Stefan?" Katherine mocked. "Or is it specific to me?"

"Just you," Stefan said.

"That's a lot of _passion_ to be directed at me. Even if it's hurtful, I'm actually kind of flattered," Katherine said.

Stefan shook his head. "What can I say? You're crazy."

Katherine faced him. "How long have you actually gone without blood?" she asked curiously. "I know all about your little addiction. Is this a binge and purge thing you're doing, or what?" Stefan didn't answer. "I know you get dessication in theory, but in reality it's much worse," Katherine said, running her finger down his chest. "Your heart beats, struggling to pump whatever blood remains, and when it's gone your veins rub together like sandpaper. It's excruciating."

"Aw, but you make it sound like _so much fun_," Stefan mocked. "I'm not worried. I'll be out of here in a day or two, and you can stay and _desiccate_ for eternity."

Katherine laughed. "You really think _Damon_ is in a hurry to get you out? He's got everything he wants: _Elena_."

"Give it up. I'm not playing into your mind games, Katherine." Stefan set the backpack on the ground and opened it up. He pulled out about a dozen white candles, and he set them into the wrought iron candle holders that were found around the tomb's alcoves. Once the candles were all lit up, they brought much more illumination to the dark tomb.

"That was nice of Damon to bring us such romantic lighting," Katherine marveled. "If there's a bottle of wine in there, we'll be all set for the evening."

Stefan rummaged through the bag.

"Well? What else is there?" Katherine asked.

"Camping stuff... bedroll... blanket... pillow..." Stefan rattled off.

Katherine's eyes lit up. "You _do realize_ that you'll have to _share_ those with me... or _fight me_ for them," Katherine said playfully. "Either way, I'm a happy girl."

"No need. You can take them," Stefan conceded, taking the higher ground. He tossed the bedroll over to Katherine. "I'd prefer the cold stone floor, rather than have to sleep next to you."

"Fine, enjoy it then!" Katherine lashed out venomously. She always had thick skin, but Stefan's insults cut into her like razors. She did her best to cover up how much it hurt. At least the slight lethargy from lack of blood helped a little.

* * *

Once Stefan set up all of the candles, the tomb became a more tolerable environment, and less of a place of death and decay. He emptied the bag to find a few other leftovers, including a flashlight, a cigarette lighter, various coins, a deck of playing cards, pencils, and a notepad. Stefan took out the deck of cards, sat down on the floor, shuffled them, and started to lay them out on the floor. Katherine approached out of curiosity and boredom. She hated the way Stefan tried to ignore her, so she figured she would at least try to annoy him.

"Strip poker?" Katherine teased. "I like the way you think. I've been in this dress for days. Want to help me get out of it?"

"Solitaire," Stefan corrected her. "It's a game designed for _one player_."

Katherine frowned. "Are you always this _boring_ around Elena? No wonder she's on a suicide mission.

Stefan ignored her and shuffled the deck.

Can't we at least play something _together_?" she asked.

"_All you do_ is play games, Katherine," Stefan said. "You don't need cards."

"Come on, we're in this together," Katherine tried again. "This place could drive us _both_ completely mad."

"I've already got you to drive me insane," Stefan jabbed. "I don't need the tomb for that."

"Insane with desire?" Katherine said suggestively. "I could do that."

"Maybe the desire to _kill you_," Stefan shot back.

"Since when did you become the sarcastic one-liner brother?" Katherine asked. "You're starting to sound like Damon."

"That wasn't sarcasm," Stefan said. "I meant it."

"You really are a snarky jackass lately," she said. "Are you back on human blood or something?"

Stefan looked up. "A little bit. Elena's been helping me get control of it."

Katherine laughed. "You fool! You can't treat an addiction like that! A few drops could send you right off the deep end."

Stefan ignored her and focused on the cards.

"Does Elena know you're a ripper?" Katherine asked.

"I'm not a ripper," he said flatly.

"More denial. Don't you think it's too _life-and-death important_ not to tell her?" Katherine prodded.

"Elena doesn't need to know," Stefan huffed. "That's all in the past. I don't want to expose her to any more vampire drama than necessary."

"What about the drama of you going insane with blood lust and biting a chunk out of her neck?" Katherine asked. "Would you rather expose her to that?"

Stefan became defensive. "What's your point, Katherine? That Elena and I can never work out because she's human?"

"I'm saying that you always knew you were a danger to her, but you refused to walk away. For someone who's always so concerned about doing 'the right thing,' that was very selfish of you."

"You're one to talk," Stefan scoffed.

Katherine's demeanor softened, and she bent down and took the cards from Stefan's hands. "You hide yourself from Elena..." she said, "but you don't have to hide from me."

"Can I have my cards back, please?" Stefan asked politely.

"Come on, _play with me!_" Katherine whined.

"Alright, alright..." Stefan sighed. "Poker then?"

Katherine smiled and sat down on the floor. "Sure, but I don't have much to bet," she teased, slipping one strap of her dress off her shoulder.

"Coins," Stefan said seriously. He pulled out all of the coins that were in the camping bag and distributed them out equally to Katherine and himself, and they began to play. It was a good enough way to pass the time, and even Stefan would admit that it wasn't unpleasant. After about an hour had passed, Katherine had most of the coins in her possession. She just kept winning.

"Okay, I have to ask," Stefan said, dealing the next hand. "How did you get so good?"

"At poker? Or just in general?" Katherine joked.

"Poker," he said.

"It's just a mix of strategy and luck of the draw, like any other game. But being able to read your opponents definitely helps out," Katherine said.

That finally got a smile out of Stefan. "So, you're basically saying that I'm easy to read?"

"No. But let's just say your poker face is not the best," Katherine said. "I can tell when you're bluffing."

"I guess I'll never be as good a liar as you, Katherine," Stefan joked.

"No. I just think you prefer to lie to _yourself_, most of the time," she said. "I'll see your fifteen cents, raise you five," she said, tossing a nickel into the pot.

Stefan suddenly became more interested in their conversation than the card game. "What makes you think that?"

"It's the little things," she said. "Subtle body language, how your eyes move before you speak. That sort of thing."

Stefan frowned. "That doesn't sound very reliable."

"So, do you still love me?" Katherine blurted out. She studied him for his response.

Stefan felt her eyes searching him all over, looking for a _tell_, a sign, a weakness, a chink in his armor. He knew she was testing him again. "No," he said flatly.

"You're bluffing!" Katherine giggled.

Stefan remained unflinching. "How much are you be willing to bet on that?"

Katherine answered without any hesitation: "_Everything._" She meant it literally.

"That's very brave of you," Stefan admitted. "But of course, you couldn't _prove_ anything."

"I don't intend to," Katherine said.

Stefan looked confused. "So what's your point then?"

Katherine smiled. "I'm going to let _you_ prove it to me."

Stefan couldn't resist a chuckle at that. "At least being stuck in this tomb hasn't damaged your _misguided_ sense of confidence."

"Time will tell," Katherine said.

"How do you manage it?" Stefan asked, shifting the subject. "Being locked in here all the time."

Katherine smiled. "It's not easy. This place really tests you."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You'll see," she said knowingly.

"It's only been a day, and I feel like my skin is crawling," Stefan said.

"You're lucky you're not _alone_," she said. "Just be glad you have me to keep you company. You could show some appreciation..."

Stefan just smiled and tried to focus on his cards, but hand after hand, he kept losing. He shook his head. "I still can't figure you out, Katherine. No matter how hard I try. Just when I think I know what you're up to, you always manage to surprise me."

"That's what makes me so delightful," Katherine said cheerfully.

"That's what makes you so _dangerous_," Stefan said sternly.

Katherine smiled slyly and looked at her cards. _Dangerous?_ He hadn't seen _anything_ yet.


	3. A Mouse in Kat's House

**WITHIN THESE WALLS**

**CHAPTER 3: A MOUSE IN KAT'S HOUSE**

* * *

Stefan found himself standing inside a house that he didn't recognize. He seemed to be all alone. The house looked like the Gilbert's, but it wasn't quite the same as he remembered it. He walked through the rooms, but everything seemed a little bit off. Different furniture, different colors, different fixtures. It had to be some _other_ house in Mystic Falls, he figured.

"Is anyone here?" Stefan called out, but no one answered back. He went to the front door, opened it, and tried to leave, but he crashed right into an invisible barrier. He was trapped. Confused, he turned back, and that's when he saw her standing in the living room. "Elena?"

"You need to stop calling me that!" she replied. Stefan knew what that meant.

"_Katherine_," Stefan sighed. Katherine ran over to Stefan and threw her arms around him lovingly. He was too confused to object, but he had to ask: "Where are we?"

"We're home!" Katherine said happily, resting her head against his shoulder.

"Whose home?" Stefan asked, puzzled.

"_Our _home," Katherine said.

"But why can't I leave?" Stefan asked desperately.

Katherine's expression turned sad. "Why would you want to leave?"

Stefan grabbed her by the wrists. "Why did you trap me in here?" he demanded.

"I didn't!" Katherine cried out. Stefan marched back to the door, and Katherine chased after him. "Stefan, please don't leave me. There's nothing out there!"

Stefan went to the door and to his surprise, he was able to step right past the threshold and onto the porch. But what he saw shocked him so much that he froze in his tracks. There was no green grass, no street, no blue sky, no clouds, and no sun. Everything as far as the eye could see was endlessly bright white, as if the rest of the world were a blank canvas that had never been painted in.

Stefan turned back in horror, and Katherine was there to embrace and comfort him. "It's okay," she soothed. "Everything we've ever wanted is right here. You'll see."

Stefan saw droplets of moisture forming on the walls, which began to drip and melt like ice under the hot sun, and once it all melted away, all that remained were the stone walls of the tomb, and the sight of Katherine next to him as they laid in a candle-lit alcove.

"Isn't it lovely?" Katherine asked, breaking the silence.

"What?" Stefan groaned. He was too tired to argue with her.

"The tomb," Katherine said dreamily. "Our home."

As soon as Stefan's mind cleared, he rubbed his eyes, pushed Katherine away, moved to another spot, and sat with his back against the wall.

* * *

Every day is exactly the same, Stefan thought. Every day, he would have the same numb feeling. Every day, he would wake up on the cold stone floor of the dark candle-lit tomb. Every day, he would stare at the walls of this prison and give up a little more hope. Every day, he would lose himself a little bit more. Every day, he would wonder about Elena and what was happening on the outside, while he remained trapped inside the bleak void of the tomb. Every day, Damon would come back with another reason why they couldn't open the seal. And every day, Katherine would be there to torment, tease, and tempt him at every possible opportunity.

Stefan was a mouse in Kat's house, but he still did an admirable job of fending her off whenever she tried to pounce. Back in 1864, Stefan was the one who chased Katherine; but these days it was Katherine doing all of the chasing. If Stefan had his way, he would have isolated himself completely; but there simply was no place to hide within the tomb, and she never left him alone for very long. In contrast to Elena's reserved behavior, Katherine tended to be very physical, aggressive, and often overtly sexual. Katherine was constantly sneaking up on Stefan, crowding his personal space, tempting him, and trying to get her hands all over him. Whenever he fell asleep, she'd snuggle up next to him and mess with his dreams. It was amazing that things hadn't turned violent yet. The more Stefan tried to ignore her, the more aggressive she got, so most of the time he just played defense and tried not to let her get the upper hand. But even when he turned away, he could still feel her eyes watching him.

It was always the same routine, the same little dance they repeated over and over: Stefan would ignore Katherine, she would taunt him, he would insult her, they would argue, she would retreat and then come back later, she would try to tempt him, he would reject her and retreat, she would get upset and leave him alone, then she would come back, they would manage to be civil for a while, and they would play some card games, she would tempt and tease him again, he would offend her, and the cycle would begin again. Strangely enough, Stefan began to tolerate her constant annoyances. At least it was a distraction from the harsh reality of being trapped in such a desolate place. Katherine probably was right that being alone in the tomb would have been a far more intolerable scenario.

* * *

Stefan huddled himself into a corner, sat, and watched a tiny ant march alone across the floor and disappear into the cracks of a wall. If only he could escape so easily, he wished. His time in solitude was very short lived, however, as it wasn't long before Katherine approached and sat next to him for what would likely be one of many daily taunting sessions.

"You know, it's very rude to leave a lady in bed like that," Katherine admonished.

"There is no bed, Katherine," Stefan said flatly, "and you're _hardly_ a lady."

"You're off to an early start, insulting me!" Katherine spewed venomously.

"I thought we agreed," Stefan said. "You stay on your side of the tomb and I'd stay on mine. What happened to the ground rules?"

"No rules, Stefan!" she giggled. "You keep forgetting."

"I gave you that bedroll," Stefan groaned. "Why don't you use it, and stay the hell away from me?"

"It's cozy..." Katherine admitted, "but you're so much warmer and cozier, I just couldn't resist."

Stefan turned away timidly.

"Come on, Stefan," Katherine scolded, "how long are you going to keep _pretending_ that you hate me? _Pretending_ that you _don't enjoy_ waking up next to me every morning?"

Stefan didn't say anything. It was going to be a _long_ day, he thought. She was getting on his nerves already. He hoped that Damon would show up soon; at least then he could break away from from her relentless teasing for a while.

Katherine never waited very long for a reply; she just continued to tease him without mercy: "Elena must be _absolutely furious_ that you decided to shack up with me!"

He tried to stay silent, but that line really set him off. "I didn't 'shack up' with you! You tricked me!" Stefan growled angrily. "Elena _understands_."

Katherine laughed. "Poor Stefan. You really don't know women very well, do you?"

"I know Elena!" Stefan shot back.

"She's a _Petrova_," Katherine declared in a Slavic sounding accent. "You might _think_ you know her, but you haven't seen her _fire_ yet."

"She'll never be like you, Katherine," Stefan said.

"That must be what's eating you up inside..." She reached out, and touching the side of his face, she turned his head to meet her gaze. He just shot her a defiant look. "You wanted her to replace _me_, but she can never live up to the role, can she?" Katherine said softly. "_She'll never be me._"

"This is totally absurd!" Stefan scoffed.

"The truth will set you free," Katherine said, "but first, it will _piss you off_." _Something_ certainly pissed him off. Stefan jumped up in anger and went and huddled himself in another corner, away from her wandering hands for at least another few minutes.

Katherine sighed. "Relax, Stefan. I'm sure Elena will find comfort in Damon's arms."

Stefan stared her down with contempt.

"Anyway, do you think Damon would be so kind as to bring us some furniture?" Katherine asked cheerfully. "We could really stand to make this place a little more... _domestic_."

Stefan sighed. "You've _got_ to be kidding me!"

"I envision the master bedroom right over there," Katherine said, pointing. "Then maybe we _could_ do eternity in here after all..."

"Have I told you that you're completely insane yet today?" Stefan fired back.

"We have to enjoy these moments together while we can, Stefan."

Stefan pouted. "Not happening."

"Are you going to be mopey all day?" Katherine asked.

"I can certainly _try_..." he said defiantly.

"You've really mastered the whole brooding thing," Katherine teased. "Is that a turn-on for Elena or something? Because I'm just not seeing the appeal."

Stefan ignored her. She was intolerable.

"You're still mad at me for tricking you?" Katherine asked seriously.

Stefan shook his head. "It's not even that..."

"What then?"

"Just leave me alone..." Stefan pleaded.

"But I'm the only one you have to talk to," Katherine reasoned.

"I know!" Stefan said mockingly. "And that's _incredibly_ depressing!"

"You know," she said, "for someone who's said to be in touch with his _feelings_, you sure put up a lot of _walls_."

Stefan rolled his eyes.

"Your walls are thicker than the ones in this crypt," she said.

"Oh, please..." Stefan frowned. "Enough with the psychoanalysis already."

"Look around you," Katherine said, waving her hand in the air. "Whatever is said in here, stays in here forever. Why can't you see the beauty in that?"

"What beauty? This is a prison," Stefan fired back in disgust.

"You can't depend on Damon or Elena in here," she went on. "So who does that leave you with?"

"Don't even say it!" Stefan warned.

"_Me!_" Katherine sang with delight.

Stefan scoffed. "You're of no comfort to me. _You're not Elena_."

"That's right, I'm _not_ Elena. We know each other better. We don't have to hide from each other. You've got to admit there's something special about that."

Stefan shook his head.

"Come on, it's _not that bad_," Katherine cooed. "You've got to admit that you had a little fun playing cards last night."

"It wasn't an entirely unpleasant distraction," Stefan admitted. "But it was still just a _distraction_."

Katherine shook her head. "Leave it to you to drain all the enjoyment out of _something fun_. What am I going to do with you?" She sighed.

Stefan fought back a smile. "You could leave me alone, for one thing..." But before the words could leave his mouth, Katherine was at it again. She just kept creeping closer to Stefan.

"Stefan?" she called sweetly.

"What..."

"Why don't you have Damon bring us some blood?" she suggested politely. "This starvation diet will drive us _both_ to the brink of insanity."

"As long as you suffer, it'll be worth it," Stefan said bitterly.

Katherine had a moment of clarity. "I get it. You want to hurt me because I hurt you. Is that it?" Stefan didn't answer. "But you must be hurting more than me right now. At least I had a good drink from Jeremy. When was the last time you fed?"

"A while," Stefan admitted. "But I'm used to it."

"You're a paradigm of self torture, Stefan," Katherine mocked. "So what's with the whole human blood abstinence thing, anyway?"

"I have my reasons," Stefan sighed.

"But apparently, your mysterious _reasons_ aren't so relevant any more," she said.

"What do you mean?" Stefan fired back. "Of course they're relevant!"

"You already said you were trying to get back on human blood," Katherine reminded him. "So are you just a hypocrite, or what?"

Stefan sighed in exasperation. "Look, it's not like I _want to_... it's because the stakes are high. I need all the strength I can get."

"To protect _precious Elena_?" Katherine whined with disdain.

"Yes; to protect Elena," Stefan confirmed.

In a flash, Katherine was in his face, and it startled him. She had him cornered again. She ran her finger down his neck, from his jaw to his collarbone. "When was the last time you bit into a nice, fresh neck, and fed like a _normal_ vampire? Without any guilt, remorse or self-loathing?"

Stefan didn't flinch. "A _very_ long time... and I don't intend to _ever_ do it again."

"You might not _intend to_..." Katherine said slowly and deliberately. "But it's who we are... the blood lust will always be there... calling you... tempting you..." Stefan watched as she brought her finger to her own wrist and with a flick of her fingernail, she slashed a deep cut into her own flesh, which immediately flowed red with blood. Stefan's eyes grew wide and he tried to back away, forgetting that he was trapped in a corner. Katherine brought her wounded wrist slowly towards Stefan's face as he desperately turned his head away.

"What are you doing!" he shouted. "Keep away from me!"

"What's the problem? It's not _human_ blood..." Katherine brought her wrist within inches of his face. "Do you remember how I taste?" she asked with sultry abandon.

Stefan looked down at the blood below his chin. Then he mustered his strength, pushed Katherine away, and ran.

"Missed your chance," Katherine sighed in disappointment, as her wound closed up and healed. At least she had found another item to add to her list of Stefan's weaknesses.

"Just leave me alone," Stefan said.

"You know I can't do that!" she giggled.

Stefan shrugged it off. "Whatever... it doesn't matter. I'll be out of here soon, and you can stay and rot."

Katherine laughed hysterically. "You still believe Damon is going to save the day? He'll leave you in here for as long as possible, if only to buy time so he can work his charms on Elena."

Stefan shook his head. "You're wrong. Damon's life purpose isn't all about tormenting me any more."

"Of course not!" Katherine exclaimed. "Now, he's all about _Elena_."

* * *

Stefan's face grew long. She was right. He dreaded the thought, but Katherine was right, and it infuriated him. He fled to another corner of the tomb and decided to exercise for a bit. That's what he did whenever anger or vices threatened to take him over, so he picked out an area of the floor that was relatively clean, and started doing push-ups. But he didn't realize that Katherine was just getting warmed up. She sauntered over and plopped herself down beside him and watched him exercise, which just made him all the more angry and irritated.

"You'd be wise to conserve your strength," Katherine suggested.

Stefan didn't stop his push-ups. "Why is that?"

"You expend all your energy, and you're just going to desiccate faster," she reminded him.

Stefan kept going. "Doesn't affect me. I'll be out of here soon enough." Katherine laughed at him. "Go ahead, laugh it up!" he encouraged. "I'm getting out."

Katherine laughed some more. "You _really_ are delusional. We both know that Bonnie is a poor excuse for a witch, and Damon is in no hurry to get you out."

Stefan kept up with his exercises. Katherine hated it when he ignored her, so she got closer, and kneeled down right beside him. She ran her hand over his back as he continued his push-ups. "Well, if you _insist_ on burning energy..." she said suggestively, "I could help you do it so much more _enjoyably_."

"Don't touch me," Stefan grunted. She didn't comply.

She leaned over and spoke softly into his ear. "You can't tell me that you haven't fantasized about me over the years... now's your chance to make the leap from dreams to reality."

Stefan couldn't win. She was exceptionally tenacious today, and ignoring her only seemed to _encourage_ her to increase her efforts.

"It's got to be disappointing for you," she went on, "being with a wet noodle like Elena. She can't _ever_ hope to compete with your own sexual prowess..."

"It's got to be disappointing for you," Stefan fired back between push-ups, "_no one_ can ever hope to compete with your ego."

Katherine giggled. "Oh, it's not about ego, Stefan. It's about _experience_. Five hundred years is a long time to master certain skills, and develop them to _incredible_ new heights."

Stefan gulped.

"Although..." Katherine said, "I have to admit, this lack of blood is taking its toll on my sex drive."

"Could have fooled me," Stefan replied sarcastically.

"Just letting you know," she said drolly. "Unless I get fed, I might not be able to perform up to my usual, mind-blowing potential. Sorry to disappoint."

Stefan laughed and shrugged her off. "You're unbelievable..." He slid away from her meandering hands, flipped over, and started doing sit-ups.

"That's what I'm told," she said. "So why don't you get us some blood from Damon? It would make our time in here so much more... _pleasurable_."

"So, we _finally_ come to the point of your game playing," Stefan announced. "You're _not_ getting any blood. End of story."

In a fluid motion, Katherine pounced. She straddled his chest, aggressively grabbed him by the collar, and pulled his face up to meet hers. She was on top of him so fast that Stefan didn't know what hit him. "I could do things with you that you'll _never_ experience with Elena," she purred.

Stefan was totally caught off guard, and he froze up. He saw her lips getting dangerously close to his own. But at the last second, there was a noise, and Stefan turned his head away just in time. Someone was calling his name.

"Hey, Stefan!" a distant voice shouted into the tomb. It was Damon. Stefan quickly threw Katherine back, leaving her stomping her foot in frustration.

* * *

Stefan made his way to the door to greet his brother. Katherine didn't bother to follow him this time, as she already knew there was no blood forthcoming.

"Hey Stef," Damon greeted. "You're looking kind of run down."

Stefan shrugged. "Yeah, well... get me out of here and I'll feel _a whole lot_ better."

"So do you want the good news first, or the bad news?" Damon asked.

"Whatever," Stefan said, waving his hand. "Any news is welcome at this point."

"The good news is that Elena is fine. Bonnie sealed her in the house. She's not going anywhere."

"You _trapped her_ in the house?" Stefan scoffed. "Aw, _Damon!_"

Damon frowned. "Elena's a martyr tear that rivals your greatest hits! Trust me, it's for the best."

Stefan nodded. "Well, as long as she's safe, I suppose that's what's important. And the bad news?"

Damon didn't say anything, but instead tossed a canvas bag full of supplies into the tomb.

Stefan winced. "Why do I suddenly get a feeling of deja vu? I take this to mean there's no hope of getting me out today?"

"Oh, _definitely not_ today..." Damon said.

"Damn it!" Stefan muttered. "I was afraid of this."

"Sorry," Damon said. "In case you haven't noticed, as far as witches go, Bonnie kind of sucks."

"So when do you think she'll be able to get me out?" Stefan asked impatiently.

Damon winced. "She's working on it. But honestly, you might not be getting out for a while..."

Stefan gulped hard. "So we'll just have to find some other way."

"Yeah..." Damon pulled out a bottle of blood. "You still doing the starvation diet?"

Stefan sighed. "Not much of a choice. As soon as Katherine smells blood, she'll steal it from me. It's in my best interest to keep her weak. She's already a handful as it is."

"Yup, that's a problem..." Damon admitted. "But do you still have that magic dust from Bonnie?"

Stefan nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"So, use it to knock Katherine unconscious, and you can have lunch in peace," Damon suggested.

Stefan shook his head. "I'm not going to waste that dust for just one meal. I might need it later. She's really..." Stefan trailed off.

"She's really _what_?" Damon asked.

"Nothing," Stefan said. "Forget it."

Damon shrugged. "Alright, just let me know when you change your mind, and I'll bring you some blood."

"Hold on, 'when' I change my mind? 'When?' Now you're making it sound like I'm going to be in here a _very_ long time," Stefan said suspiciously.

"Well, like I said, we don't really know," Damon said.

"Is there something else you're not telling me?" Stefan prodded.

"No! We can only work with what we've got!" Damon said defensively. "Unfortunately, what we've got isn't enough! I'm doing all that I can."

"Are you?" Stefan asked with a subtle accusative tone, "_Really?_"

"What's gotten into you?" Damon asked.

"I'm sorry," Stefan apologized. "I didn't mean that like it sounded."

"It's Katherine," Damon said. "She's getting to your head already..."

Stefan shook his head. "No, no. I can handle Katherine. It's just this place. It's just wearing on my nerves."

"Stay strong. I'll find a way to get you out of here," Damon said.

Stefan nodded but his face didn't express optimism. "Take care of Elena, first and foremost."

Damon nodded. "You don't have to ask twice. I promise."

Damon left, and Stefan picked up the bag and reluctantly returned to the tomb. He would have to be the mouse in Kat's house for at least another night.


	4. We're in This Together

**WITHIN THESE WALLS**

**CHAPTER 4: WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER**

* * *

Stefan leaned back against the jagged, rough-hewn rock wall at the tomb entrance. The sun was setting, and he watched the last remnants of natural light sweep across the ground, right where Damon stood on the other side of the gate; the side where _freedom_ was, just out of Stefan's reach. Stefan was glad to see his brother, desperate for some news or any promise of escape. The two-punch combination of the desolate crypt and _Katherine_ was really starting to get to Stefan's head, but he didn't want to admit it, nor did he want to consider what effects a long term stay might have on himself.

"Sorry I couldn't get here earlier," Damon apologized.

"No big deal. I'm here all the time," Stefan said with resignation. "How's Elena?"

"Still feisty," Damon said. "She sends her love."

"And now you're going to tell me that I'm condemned to spend yet another night in this dreadful place," Stefan said with despair, anticipating more bad news.

The look on Damon's face was confirmation enough. "You really should feed though. You're looking weak."

Stefan shook his head. "No. No blood in here. You know why."

Damon frowned. "Alright, what if I bring enough blood for the both of you?" he suggested. "That way you don't have to _kill each other_ over it?"

Stefan immediately shook his head. "I don't think so. I don't want her to be strong, Damon. She's dangerous enough as it is."

"Well, at least take this then," Damon said, and he slid a small wooden crate past the tomb's seal.

Stefan bent down on one knee, opened the lid, and rummaged through the assortment of colored glass bottles inside. "Alcohol? What's the deal?"

"At least it will stave off the cravings for a little while longer," Damon said, "and maybe prevent the two of you from getting at each others' throats..."

"Chances are we'll be at each others' throats regardless." Stefan put the lid back on the crate and stood up. "Now, about getting me out..."

"Look, there's just not much else I can do right now," Damon apologized. "But there _might_ be something _you_ can do."

Stefan's ears perked up, but he was puzzled by the statement. He crossed his arms over his chest. "_Me?_ What can I possibly do while I'm trapped in here?"

"Keep your voice down. I don't want Katherine to hear us," Damon said.

Stefan looked back over his shoulder. "We're fine... well? What is it?" he asked with a restrained voice.

"Remember Lucy, the witch at the Masquerade ball..." Damon prompted.

Stefan thought back to the night of the ball and he snapped his fingers. "That's right! She could probably open this. But how can we contact her?"

"That's where _you_ come in," Damon said bluntly. "Haven't you been listening?"

Stefan raised a hand in objection. "_Oh no_... you mean from Katherine?" he asked incredulously. "Like she's _ever_ going to tell me anything!"

"Come on, you can get it out of her," Damon encouraged.

Stefan frowned. "Just how the hell am I supposed to manage that?"

"I don't know; maybe the liquor will soften her up," Damon suggested.

"What, I'm supposed to get her drunk now?" Stefan scoffed. "Damon, this is _totally ridiculous_."

Damon shrugged. "_In vino veritas._"

Stefan groaned. "This is completely _insane_, Damon! It'll _never_ work. I mean this is _Katherine_ we're talking about!"

Damon's patience was wearing thin, "Look, you don't have to tell me it's a long shot! But if you'd prefer to just sit around the tomb and _brood_, that's your business."

Stefan shook his head. The futility of it all was overwhelming. "Katherine will _never_ give up any information. She _enjoys_ having me trapped in here. What am I supposed to do?"

Damon smirked. "Bond with her?"

"_How_ am I supposed to do that?" Stefan asked.

"Work the old Salvatore charm?" Damon suggested. "You'll think of something."

"What are you suggesting?" Stefan asked defensively.

"She supposedly loves you, right?" Damon asked. "It might not be as difficult as you think."

"Katherine is _incapable_ of love," Stefan said. "It's all a game to her. She only cares about herself."

"So, just play along, get your info, and get the hell out of there!" Damon said. Stefan's stubbornness was grating on his nerves.

Stefan rubbed at his face in frustration. "You're telling me to try to _deceive Katherine_. Have you lost your mind? She'll see _right through me!_ She always has."

Damon shrugged. "How badly do you want to get out?"

"What are you up to, Damon?" Stefan fired off suspiciously.

Damon became agitated. "Hey, I'm just trying to help!"

"Are you, _really?_" Stefan accused. "If I didn't know better, it almost seems like you're thrusting me on Katherine."

"Hey, you're the one who jumped in the tomb without a second thought! I'm just giving you the information! It's up to you what you do with it."

"What's going on between you and Elena?" Stefan blurted out.

Damon rolled his eyes and looked away. "Stefan, come on. Let's _not_ do this..."

Stefan crossed his arms over his chest. "No, let's get it out in the open right now."

"The only thing going on is that you're acting totally _paranoid_," Damon shouted.

Stefan shook his head in frustration. "Look, I'm sorry. Forget it. I don't even know where that came from... I just want to get the hell out of here."

"I'll do my part," Damon said. "But you've got to do yours: _Lucy_. Find out anything you can."

Stefan picked up the crate with a sigh. "Alright. I'll come up with a plan."

Damon nodded and left, his footsteps echoing back through the cavernous abode. Stefan slowly marched back into the tomb. He had some thinking to do.

* * *

Stefan made his way back into the tomb, cursing Damon's name under his breath, and he set the crate down. Katherine emerged from the shadows and wandered over out of curiosity. "Are we finally going to break our fast?" she asked anxiously. Stefan's answer was to pull out a bottle of wine and show her the label.

"It's not blood," Stefan said, "but it'll keep the cravings at bay for a little while longer."

"Stefan, you know you don't have to get me drunk to get me into bed," Katherine teased.

Stefan smiled. "That's not what I had in mind..."

"Because you don't know what's good for you," she said while she peeked inside the crate. "So, who's coming to our little soiree?"

"Just us," Stefan said.

"Perfect!" Katherine sang with delight. She took the cover and slid it back on the crate, and sat on top of it, forcing Stefan's attention away from the bottles, and onto her. "It's just a tad suspicious," she noted. "Is it laced with vervain or something? You know very well that it doesn't affect me."

"No vervain," Stefan assured her.

Katherine had many layers, but she was a _survivor_ first and foremost, and one thing that helped her stay _alive_ was her highly suspicious nature. "So what's the deal then?" she interrogated, studying Stefan for subtle clues which might reveal him as being dishonest.

Stefan had been thinking for a while, and an idea finally struck him. It was far from perfect, but it was _decent_, and definitely worth a shot. "I thought maybe we could celebrate," he said with an air of mystery.

Katherine's curiosity was piqued. "What's the occasion?"

Stefan studied the bottle's label. "Our little... _reunion_, I suppose."

Katherine laughed. It was a cute answer, but far from realistic. Stefan obviously had an ulterior motive. "So, you've finally come to your senses and _want me desperately_? I'd like to believe it, Stefan, but you've been treating me like dirt ever since you got here. Now all of a sudden you want to wine and dine me? What's your game?"

Stefan pointed the bottle of wine at Katherine's face. "Ah, but that's the whole point: _no more games_, Katherine..." he said. "How about a mutually beneficial agreement?"

Katherine raised her eyebrows. "A lover's pact?"

Stefan smiled. "More like a business contract."

"Okay, you've got me curious now," she admitted. "What's your proposal?"

"I think you have some information that I want," Stefan said. "In fact, it could help us _both_."

Katherine cocked her head to the side. "And what might that be?"

"_Lucy_," Stefan said succinctly.

Katherine jumped from her seat and became irate at the mention of her name. "That bitch had better sleep with one eye open from now on!"

"Tell me how to contact her," Stefan said calmly.

Katherine knew immediately what it was all about. "You want her to break the seal..."

Stefan nodded. "I'm willing to bet she can do it."

"I never said she _couldn't_ do it," Katherine said. "But you're wasting your time. Even if you can find her, she won't help you. She _loathes_ vampires. She was in my debt, but you saw how quickly she betrayed me. You'd be dealing with the devil. Lucy would just as soon _kill us both_, if given the chance. What makes you think she'll bend over backwards to help you get out of a jam?"

"She might not want to help _me_, but she'll help _Bonnie_," Stefan replied confidently.

"So you're just going to _trust_ in the kindness of her heart?" Katherine mocked. "You're a fool."

Stefan shrugged. "Truth is, I don't have any other options right now."

"I thought you didn't trust me," Katherine said, pointing her finger.

"I don't," Stefan said. "But I'll take a chance, if it means possibly getting out of here."

"You're assuming I know where to find her?" Katherine asked. "Lucy betrayed me. I'm sure she's already long gone, if she knows what's good for her."

"I'll try my luck," Stefan pointed out. "Just tell me how you last contacted her."

"What's in it _for me_?" Katherine asked, hands planted firmly on her hips.

Stefan smiled. "I was wondering when you'd get to that. That's always the most important factor, isn't it?"

"Well?" she asked, examining her fingernails. "My patience is slipping, Stefan. I don't have all night..."

Stefan moved closer. He wanted to project honesty with his words, so he spoke calmly and deliberately. "You tell me how to contact Lucy, she'll get this seal open, and I'll make sure you get out with me, safe and sound," Stefan said. "We both go together."

"Together?" Katherine asked sadly. It sounded so nice; so filled with promise.

Stefan nodded. "Together."

"And then what?" Katherine asked, preparing herself for further insults and rejection.

Stefan looked away. "You leave town, disappear... and don't come back."

Katherine fought back the lump in her throat. She turned away, not wanting to face him. "Are you really so eager to be rid of me?"

"That's the deal," Stefan said quietly. "All things considered, that's not such a bad ending."

"So I'm supposed to trust my life to that _witch-bitch_ who already betrayed me once, and _you_?" Katherine shook her head. "No way!"

"You'd prefer to be stuck in this hole when Klaus comes to kill you?" Stefan asked.

"It's safer in here," Katherine said coolly.

Stefan grabbed her by the arm and spun her around. "You don't _honestly_ believe that, do you?" Stefan grilled her. "You're backed into a corner, and you know it!"

"You know what's kept me alive through the centuries more than anything else, Stefan? _Trust no one_," she said, pointing at his chest. "That includes _you_."

"But I thought you didn't believe in rules," Stefan said.

"I do when they keep me _alive_," she admitted.

"But what do you have to lose?" Stefan asked. "I _will_ get out of here, with or without you. It's your choice."

"That doesn't give me any reason to trust you," she replied.

"I give you my word," Stefan said.

"And that's supposed to mean something to me?" Katherine fired back, turning away again. The fact that he wanted to get away from her so badly was painful enough, and on top of that, it seemed like he was _setting her up_.

"My word is good," Stefan said with conviction.

"Not to me!" she shouted. "All you've done so far is treat me like dirt and say how you want to watch me suffer and leave me to rot in here! Now you want to help me? I don't believe it."

Stefan walked around to face her. "Look, I know it won't be easy. But I hope that we can meet half way, maybe reach an understanding... something."

"Suppose I honestly don't know anything about Lucy?" Katherine suggested.

"All you have to do is tell me how you last contacted her," Stefan pleaded. "That's all I want to know. I'll take it from there."

Katherine thought about it for a minute before speaking. "I want blood," she demanded. "No more of this mutual starvation, agreed?"

"No," Stefan said, shaking his head. "I can't allow that."

"Why not?" she fired back in frustration.

"Because we'll need time constraints to make the agreement work," Stefan reasoned. "If we're both hungry, it will motivate us to work together and get out of here sooner."

Katherine crossed her arms and shook her head. "Starvation will only motivate me to be an _everlasting bitch_!"

"I can't let you feed," Stefan said firmly. "Neither of us will. Not until we get out."

Katherine stomped her foot in frustration. "No deal then! I want blood, and I want it _right now!_"

"The sooner we complete our agreement, the sooner we _both_ get out and feed," Stefan said calmly. "Every contract needs constraints."

Katherine frowned. "How about some _constraints_ on your wise ass insults!"

Stefan exhaled. "I'll settle down," he conceded, "but only if you do the same. Enough with the teasing and taunting."

"But what if Lucy can't be found? Or if she can't open the seal?" Katherine asked.

"_If_ that turns out to be the case, and we're still stuck in here for the long term..." Stefan said, looking up at the ceiling, "I'll ask Damon to bring us some blood."

Katherine's eyes lit up. "You promise?"

"I promise," Stefan said, looking her in the eyes. "I keep my promises."

"So do I," Katherine said. "That's why I don't like to make any."

"So are we in agreement so far?" Stefan asked.

"Alright, so far..." Katherine nodded, shaking a finger at Stefan. "But I'm not going to cooperate until you stop treating me like trash!"

Stefan nodded. "Okay, I'll admit that I've been harsh with you."

"Oh no, you're not getting off that easy!" Katherine snickered. "I want an apology. An honest, heartfelt apology."

"Alright, fair enough," Stefan said. He took a deep breath and swallowed his pride. "Katherine, I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you. I was precipitant and rude. I apologize."

Katherine grinned wide, with a hand firmly planted on her hip. "That's a good start! Keep going..."

"That's the apology, Katherine," Stefan said. "You're not getting any more."

"Fine," she grumbled. "You can make it up to me _later_."

"Moving on..." Stefan continued.

"Wait," Katherine interrupted. "There's something else I want."

"What now?" Stefan asked, though he knew he'd probably regret it.

She paced around. "I want some answers. I want the truth. And you're going to have to tear down those walls in your mind to let them out. Once I get them, I'll tell you everything you ever wanted to know about our dear Lucy."

Stefan gulped. He didn't like the sound of that, but it seemed like Katherine was actually _trying_ to meet him half way, so he agreed. "Alright. But if I'm going to open up to you, you've got to do the same. I want some answers too," he said, pointing his finger. "Real answers. _No more games_."

They stared each other down like two gunfighters about to duel. They were trying to read each other; each looking for signs of deception or a glimmer of trustworthiness.

"Well? Stefan asked. "Do we have a deal?"

Katherine moved within inches of Stefan's face. For a second, he thought she might try to kiss him, but she didn't. "Don't make me regret it," she said.

"Don't push it," Stefan said.

But she was already pushing it, even before Stefan could get the words out. Katherine ran her hand down his chest. "What makes you think I'm eager to get out of here, Stefan? Everything I want is within these walls: _you_." Stefan retained his composure. "Besides, the idea of two star-crossed lovers suffering together in this tomb for eternity has a certain tragic, romantic charm to it, don't you think?"

"I can think of better endings," Stefan said. "Besides, this deal could go a long way towards bridging the rift between us..."

Katherine moved so close that he could feel her breath on his neck. Stefan didn't back away. He couldn't. Not now; not when they were _so close_ to an agreement. "Now it sounds like _you're playing me,_" she said, searching his face for any indication that he might be trying to trick her.

Stefan remained unwavering. "Do we have a deal?"

Katherine slung her arms around his neck, brushed her cheek up against his, and whispered in his ear: "_I always sign my agreements with a kiss._"

"You're pushing it," Stefan warned.

"What did you expect from me?" Katherine clearly wasn't going to make this easy for him.

What did he expect, indeed. He should have known that Katherine would try to pull some kind of stunt like this. She was testing him; daring him. The whole thing was a risky deal. There was a chance he might get what he needed, but at what cost? Stefan wasn't afraid of Katherine, but he was afraid of what could possibly result from this agreement. She was alluring; she was a seductress; she knew how to manipulate, and she always managed to work a situation to her advantage. But what choice did he have? It was his best chance of _getting out_, of getting back to the real world, _back to Elena_. He closed his eyes and waited for her kiss. But to his surprise, it didn't happen.

"_It's your move_..." Katherine whispered. She was making him work for it. He couldn't back down now, and she knew it. Abandoning hesitation, he leaned forward, and she did the same. Stefan steadied himself as their lips touched, but to his surprise, Katherine pulled away almost immediately.

"You're holding back on me," she said, expressing disappointment. "We both know this will _never_ work if we hold back on each other." Stefan's silence was confirmation enough that she was right.

"_Show me you mean it_," she whispered.

Katherine and Elena _looked_ exactly the same, but they certainly didn't _kiss_ the same. No confusion could occur in this moment; Stefan was kissing _Katherine_, and she made sure _he knew it_. Her "signature" was unmistakable, and unforgettable. This time, Stefan didn't hold back. He couldn't afford to. Katherine wouldn't accept anything less. He tried so hard to avoid _feeling_ anything, and to immediately cast aside any memories that came creeping back. However, their kiss was cut short by a loud popping sound, as Stefan pulled the cork from the bottle of wine, which he was glad to still be holding. He abruptly backed away, poured two glasses, and handed one to Katherine. No words were spoken when Stefan raised his glass, the white wine sparkling in the candlelight, and Katherine briefly touched her glass to his. The chime rang throughout the tomb, and Stefan wondered what he was getting himself into.


	5. Ashes and Wine

**WITHIN THESE WALLS**

**CHAPTER 5: ASHES AND WINE**

* * *

Stefan and Katherine sat together, huddled in an alcove of the tomb, their backs against the wall, beneath a wrought-iron candelabra which housed five half-melted, flickering, white candles. In this place, they were somewhat sheltered from the cold draftiness of the crypt. Stefan noticed how the floor had become littered with empty bottles. They had killed off more than a few, which was understandable given the pressing need for blood, combined with the anxiety and boredom of being locked in the tomb.

Katherine laughed. "So then he was like 'can I help?,' you know, trying to be all sincerely father-like, in his own pathetic, slimy way..."

Stefan laughed. "Oh, he's a total _slime ball_... that is _so John..._ your impersonation is spot-on!"

"Anyway, so I said 'sure'..." Katherine rambled on, giggling. "By this time, I noticed that he his hand was down on the counter, like this," she continued, slapping her right hand onto the floor in illustration. "And I was just looking down at his ring, and that butcher's knife was _right there_..."

Stefan laughed uncontrollably. "Oh, no way! He walked right into that one!"

"Really! That's how it happened," Katherine giggled. "So I grabbed the knife, and then... BAM! Bye-bye fingers! So then he _finally_ realized who I really was. You should have seen the look on his face!"

Stefan exploded into a fit of laughter. "Oh no, that's _priceless_! Then what happened?"

Katherine shrugged and sipped her wine. "So then I jabbed the knife into his gut, and left him bleeding on the floor."

"Hey, I've been there!" Stefan laughed. "That's classic!"

Katherine frowned. "Wait a minute... so you're _not_ going to criticise me for being a ruthless psychotic bitch, and give me a lecture on how I should have been nicer?"

"Oh, no... John is such a _dirtbag_," Stefan chuckled. "But why did you attack him in the first place? I mean, I thought he was working for you all along."

"He was... but he screwed up when he added you to the hit list," she explained. "I couldn't let that slide." Stefan chuckled. "Oh, come on, you're trying to tell me you did that for my benefit? That's a stretch..." Katherine sipped her wine. "You wanted him gone, didn't you?" "We all did," Stefan said. "So why didn't you kill him?"

"He may be a dirtbag, but he still serves a _purpose_!" Katherine winked and pointed her finger.

Stefan nodded. "I have no idea what that means, but I figured you'd say something like that."

Katherine raised her glass. "Cheers."

"Hey, Katherine..." Stefan tapped her on the shoulder repeatedly. "Hey, Katherine, listen to this..."

Katherine looked at him quizzically. "Stefan Salvatore, are you _intoxicated_?" she playfully scolded.

"Oh, no!" Stefan objected. "Well, maybe half."

Katherine frowned. "Half drunk?"

"Well, an optimist might say I'm half sober," Stefan joked. "Hey, Katherine, I'll let you in on a little secret... you're gonna love this one."

Katherine sipped her wine. "I'm listening..."

Stefan leaned to the side and in a hushed voice, began to tell his secret: "You're not the only badass vampire in town who threatened John."

"Oh, I know," Katherine said. "I already heard that Damon snapped his neck."

"No, no!" Stefan objected. "Well, yeah, Damon snapped his neck and threw him off a balcony. But I threatened John, too!"

Katherine slapped his arm playfully. "No you didn't!"

"Really, I did!" Stefan protested.

"Get out! You're such a _liar!_" she teased.

"No, really! When he was in the hospital... Elena and I paid him a visit, right..."

"Ooh, _a visit_," Katherine mocked. "Now that's really _threatening!_ I'm totally _shocked_ by your cruelty, Stefan."

Stefan laughed. "No, wait, let me finish! Basically, John was completely disgusted over seeing me there with Elena. So when she left the room, I force-fed him my blood, and threatened to turn him if he didn't leave town!"

Katherine exploded into laughter. "Wow! I'm actually impressed, Stefan. I wouldn't have imagined you laying down the law like that, but I like it. It's pretty sexy."

"I had a feeling you might like that," Stefan said with a hint of pride. He met Katherine's gaze for a second, smiled timidly, and turned away. She noticed and was struck with curiosity.

_"What's the cute half-smile all about?" she asked. _

"It's nothing..." Stefan shook his head and looked away.

"Come on, _tell me!_" Katherine whined. "If you want our whole arrangement thing to work, you've got to open up a little bit more."

Stefan sipped his wine. "It's just... hearing your laugh. It just brings back memories, that's all."

Katherine was truly surprised by some of the things Stefan had been saying and doing all night. She really liked seeing this side of Stefan, but her mistrusting nature wondered if the little things she picked up on was _all an act_. She certainly hoped not. He seemed to be loosening up to the point of being _friendly_ with her, but she couldn't tell if it was due to the alcohol breaking down his inhibitions, or if Stefan was only trying to get on her good side to manipulate her for the information he wanted.

"_What_ memories?" she asked curiously.

Stefan shrugged shyly. "Nothing special."

Katherine grinned. "You know what I think, Stefan?"

"What's that?"

"I think... that beneath that nice guy image, you still _play rough_," Katherine purred.

Stefan sipped his wine. "Well, when the stakes are high, I guess so."

"So..." Katherine reached over and walked her fingers up his arm. "Are you going to play rough with me?" She asked with such an air of suggestiveness that Stefan couldn't figure out if it was confrontational or more sexual innuendo. But knowing Katherine, it was probably _both_.

"Your glass is almost empty," he said. "More?"

"Please!" She offered up her glass and Stefan poured. "What do you want to do now?"

"Actually, I think I'll call it a night," Stefan said.

"Why? Is all of our _fun_ cutting into your brooding time?" Katherine teased.

Stefan laughed. "I'm pretty tired."

"Come on! It's not like you're going to make it to school in the morning," she went on. "We're supposed to be creatures of the night, remember? Live a little!"

Stefan relaxed a little. "You know, I never thought I'd say it, but... you make a good point."

"You know, Stefan..." Katherine sipped from her glass and pointed over into the corner where her bedroll was laid out, and in her sweetest voice made a proposal: "We could go over there, stretch out, and get more comfortable..."

Stefan laughed and shook his head. "That's not happening."

"Why not?" she whined with the sweet disappointment of a little girl who was just told by her parents that she couldn't have a puppy.

"Do I _really_ have to spell it out?" Stefan replied. "You... me... excessive drinking... a cozy bed... do you see where this is leading?"

"_Yes!_ To a _wonderful_ night!" Katherine announced proudly.

Stefan chuckled and finished off the rest of his wine. "And a morning full of regret," he added.

"Only one morning? I'd jump at that deal if I were you," Katherine teased. "Life is too short for regrets, anyway."

Stefan laughed. "_Short?_ Aren't you past five hundred?"

Katherine slapped him on the shoulder. "It's not polite to ask a lady her age!" she scolded.

Stefan laughed. "You've got a comeback for everything. I can't win."

"What's so wrong with us simply sharing a bed?" Katherine asked. "I sleep with you every night anyway, whether you like it or not. We might as well both be comfortable."

"We both know you can't keep your hands to yourself," Stefan said.

"You say that like it's a _bad_ thing!" Katherine teased.

Stefan laughed and pointed his finger at her. "So you admit it! I finally got you to own up to something. This is truly a monumental event."

Katherine laughed. "You know what I think?" She sipped her wine. "I think that you're more worried about _your own_ hands. I can control myself. How about you, Stefan?"

Stefan rolled his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous, Katherine. You know who you're talking to?"

"You're afraid!" Katherine teased.

"I am _not!_" Stefan fired back defensively. "I'm perfectly fine sleeping on the floor."

"_Sure_ you are," she said mockingly. "You'll give in to me eventually, Stefan. Maybe not now, but soon..."

* * *

Stefan set down his empty glass, stood up, exhaled, and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Going somewhere?" Katherine asked.

"I think I'll go over to the gate and get some fresh air," he said as he stepped away.

"Want some company?" Katherine asked sweetly.

"Not really... but I can't stop you," Stefan called back.

"I'll consider that an invitation!" Katherine got up and merrily followed him out to the gate.

It was a cold night, and a gust of frigid air drifted through the entrance of the tomb which was illuminated with the soft glow of moonlight. From the doorway, Stefan could see a bit of the starry sky, and he breathed in the cool air hungrily. Katherine noticed that he seemed to get the sparkle back in his eyes as he stared out into the sky.

"It's _so cold_," Katherine whined.

Stefan shrugged. "It's just as cold inside."

"You know what's good for that?" Katherine asked. Before Stefan could respond, she answered her own question: "_Shared body heat..._" she purred.

"No chance," Stefan said smugly.

"It's a matter of survival!" Katherine joked.

Stefan chuckled. "We're vampires, Katherine. We're _not_ going to die of _frostbite_, you know?"

"So you're just going to leave a poor girl shivering in the cold? Some gentleman you are," Katherine whimpered. She crossed her arms and began to shake.

Stefan just watched as she put on her little show. "You're _faking_ it," he said confidently.

"I am _not!_" she protested.

Stefan laughed. "You're _totally_ faking it!"

"Hey, I'm in a skimpy dress! You're wearing seven layers," she complained. "Isn't there _anything_ you can do to help warm me up?" she asked playfully.

"Maybe there is," Stefan answered. Katherine nearly jumped at the unexpected reply. She thought she hit the jackpot; the perfect combination of alcohol and suggestion that could break through Stefan's inhibitions, but her excitement was crushed when he unzipped his gray hooded jacket and offered it to her. "Here..."

"Oh... _thanks_," she said with disappointment. She accepted it and slipped her arms into the oversized garment. It was still a nice gesture. Katherine couldn't even remember the last time anyone had shown her an act of kindness like that. Stefan resumed his position leaning up against the wall, staring outside. Katherine recognized the look on his face and she suddenly became filled with bitterness and boiling rage, because she could tell that he was thinking about _Elena_. Katherine absolutely _hated_ that he could be thinking about someone else, especially at a time when they finally seemed to be opening up to each other. Katherine wanted desperately to shake him out of this mood of distant longing and bring him back into her world.

"What are you thinking of?" she asked, finally breaking the long silence. She wasn't particularly interested in the answer.

Stefan kicked his foot in the dirt. "What can you tell me about Klaus?" He deflected her question with a question of his own. Katherine didn't answer, but instead she reached out and extended a hand, which broke his concentration. He looked at her curiously.

"Take my hand, Stefan," she instructed.

Stefan hesitantly obliged, reached out and took her hand. "Okay... so what's the deal?"

"We have a narrow window of opportunity to do something _fun_ before you sober up," Katherine giggled. "Dance with me!"

Stefan groaned and shook his head. "I'm not playing around, Katherine."

"That's the problem! You never want to _play with me_ any more!" Katherine whined. She tugged at his hand but he wouldn't budge. "Look around! We've got the whole place to ourselves!"

"No, I really can't. I'm too drunk. My coordination is shot," Stefan lied.

"You'll get over it," Katherine said, and before he could object again, she pulled him closer. "You want to know about Klaus? Indulge me just a little bit..." Katherine placed his free hand on her waist. Stefan rolled his eyes and reluctantly danced with her under the pale glow of moonlight.

"Don't pretend you don't enjoy it," Katherine said.

"No pretending necessary," Stefan said flatly.

"Wouldn't it be _hilarious_ if Damon came down those steps right now, and saw us dancing like drunken fools?"

"Yeah," Stefan said with droll sarcasm. "_Hilarious._"

"Hey!" Katherine cried out. "Watch your step! You step on my toes again and I'll knock you on your ass."

"I _told you_ I was too drunk," Stefan groaned. "But did you listen? _No!_ Because Miss Katherine _always_ gets what she wants..."

"You know you love it," she teased. "You know what though, Stefan? I was wrong..."

Stefan squinted. "Wrong about what?"

"The truth is that Damon was _always_ the better dancer," Katherine teased.

"Hey! That's a cheap shot!" Stefan complained.

Katherine smiled. "Then _prove me wrong!_"

"Let me remind you that I'm half drunk," Stefan said.

"I thought you were a half sober optimist," she teased.

Stefan sighed. "I can't be an optimist. Not while I'm in here, and Elena's out there."

Katherine scoffed. "How can you _even think_ about that little vanilla bean imitation of me, when you've got the real deal right in front of you?"

"So what is it you're trying to accomplish here?" Stefan changed the subject.

"Why? Are you worried that I might lead you astray?" Katherine smiled slyly.

"_Where_ are you leading me?" he asked. "That's what I'm asking.

"Well, you'll just have to wait and see," she said. "This isn't so bad, is it?"

"I suppose it's harmless enough," Stefan said. "No innocent people around for you to kill this time..."

"Come on, Stefan, you had to be a little bit turned on by that," Katherine teased.

Stefan burst into laughter. "You never give up, do you?"

"If I did, I'd have been dead long ago."

"It's just funny," Stefan said. "You're really enjoying this whole tomb experience, aren't you? I mean you're truly having _fun_ in here."

"Sure I'm having fun, and _so are you_," Katherine said.

Stefan dismissed the idea immediately. "No way! All I want to do is get out."

"Come on, Stefan. We're drinking, we're telling stories, we're dancing, and just a little while ago, _you kissed me_..." she said.

Stefan groaned. "You know very well I only did that so I can get the hell out of here, and get back to Elena."

"Maybe," Katherine conceded. "But that doesn't mean you didn't _enjoy_ it." She giggled.

Stefan chuckled. "You've got an answer for everything."

"You _loved_ it!" Katherine giggled.

"You're living in a dream world," Stefan said. "I mean you're truly _crazy_."

"Everybody's crazy about something," she said. "Maybe I'm crazy about you."

Stefan fought back a smile. "Am I supposed to be flattered?"

She brushed her cheek against his neck. "Kiss me again and tell me it's _all about Elena_... _I dare you._"

"Will you tell me where Lucy is?" Stefan asked.

Katherine giggled. "I'm not just going to give it up so easily!"

"What do you want from me?" Stefan asked.

"How about admitting that you've missed me? That would be a good start."

"But I haven't," Stefan reiterated.

Katherine shook her head. "_Wrong answer_," she said. "Care to try again?"

Stefan looked away. "What can I say? It's true."

"So you're a liar then," she accused.

Stefan became defensive. "How do you figure?"

"You're forgetting that I've read your journal," Katherine said.

Stefan's confident smirk collapsed. She had an ace up her sleeve the whole time. "You know, it was incredibly _rude_ of you to do that," he admonished.

Katherine smiled slyly. "Well? What did you expect from me?"

"How much did you actually read, anyway?"

"_Enough_," she said ambiguously. "It was quite a compelling read, Stefan. You really should be published. Anyway, I couldn't help but notice some fairly recent entries mentioning _yours truly_."

"You're bluffing. There's nothing in there about you," Stefan said coolly.

Katherine laughed. "Oh really? Should I start quoting passages?"

Stefan gritted his teeth. "Okay, fine, you win... there was a time when I missed you, Katherine. There. I said it. Are you happy now?"

Katherine's eyes lit up. "Well, the curtains of denial have finally parted!"

"Don't make a big deal out of it," Stefan whined. "You're taking it all out of context."

"_You're the one_ who made it a big deal by _lying about it!_" Katherine said.

Stefan sighed. "Don't get all excited. I might have missed you once upon a time, but that doesn't mean I'm happy that you're back."

"There's still time for you to change your mind about that," she said.

"Enough playing around. How about us getting out of here?" Stefan asked.

Katherine squinted. "Oh, I really haven't decided about that yet."

"You still think I'm setting you up?" Stefan asked.

"Yes, I do."

"The clock is ticking," Stefan said. "Once the hunger becomes too painful to endure, you'll want to talk."

"I can endure hunger," Katherine said. "But not your betrayal."

Stefan shook his head. "I won't betray you."

"The problem is, you know very well that I'm not going to leave town," Katherine said.

"Why won't you?" Stefan asked. "The deal is a fair one."

She smiled. "Maybe I like being back in your life."

"Well, you've stayed out of it for a good century and a half," Stefan said coldly, "you can do it _again_."

"I'm going to continue tearing your little world apart, raising _hell_ for you and Elena..." she went on.

"I guess I can't stop you," Stefan said.

The two stopped dancing and Katherine pushed him away. "That's why you're _lying_ to me," she accused. "You don't want to let me out, and you're going to do everything in your power to keep me locked in here."

Stefan shook his head. "Look, I know I can't force you to leave town. But a promise is a promise. I said I'll get you out, and I'll stay true to my word."

"Why?" she asked. "Give me a reason to trust you."

"I've got a better idea," Stefan countered. "_You_ give _me_ a reason. Prove to me that there's something inside of you that's worth trusting."

"And then what?" she fired back. "You're still going to hate me..."

"Maybe," he said. "Maybe I'll see that there's still some hope for you after all..."

Katherine's eyes lit up. She _wanted_ to trust him, but it went against her highly suspicious nature. "You're playing me."

"It's your choice," he said plainly.

Katherine shook her head. "Don't look for any good in me, Stefan. It's just not there."

"Somehow," Stefan said, "I refuse to believe that."

"Then prepare to be disappointed," she said coldly. She hoped that would shake Stefan from this path he was going down, but he persisted. She noticed the way he was looking at her. He was seeing _through_ her, and even though she hated that feeling of vulnerability, at the same time, she was drawn to it like a moth to the flame.

"If I thought you were so far gone," Stefan said, "I wouldn't have made a peace offering in the first place. I wouldn't be reaching out like I am right now. And I probably wouldn't even be _talking_ to you." He wanted her trust. He _needed it_, in order to get out of the tomb.

"I'm only going to let you down in the end," Katherine said sadly.

"Maybe..." Stefan said. "But you don't have to. It doesn't have to be that way."

"This is who I am, Stefan." Her words were hard, but her eyes were filled with softness. Stefan didn't have anything left to say, so he just pulled her into his arms, which picked up where words left off. It took her completely by surprise.

"_What are you doing?_" she asked, her face pressed to his chest.

"Giving you a hug," he answered.

"_Why?_" She just had to ask. She had to know.

"You just look like you need it."

Katherine was completely stunned. It had been so many years since anyone had ever shown her a simple act of caring like Stefan just did; so many years, in fact, that the feeling had become so foreign to her that she didn't quite know how to react or respond, so she just surrendered to it and eased into his arms. It didn't happen through manipulation or trickery, and it seemed so strange, but it felt _so good_, and for just a few seconds, she remembered what it felt like _to be loved_. She didn't want it to end, but it had to, and it did.

"Goodnight, Katherine," Stefan said quietly, and he started walking back into the tomb.

Katherine stood there, still a little bit shocked, but she collected her emotions and quickly got her fiery wit back again. "Wait!" she called after him. Stefan stopped and turned around. "You really want to find Klaus, so you can play the big hero, save the day, and show off for _your precious Elena?_"

Stefan smiled. "Yes..."

"Start with Isobel," she said.

Stefan nodded.

"_You're welcome_."


	6. Cut Up Angels

**WITHIN THESE WALLS**

**CHAPTER 6: CUT UP ANGELS **

* * *

Elena sat with Caroline on the soft green grass outside of Mystic Falls High School. The weather was sunny and pleasant, and like many other students, the two friends ate lunch and chatted outside. Elena and Caroline were friends, of course, and they talked like friends, but today they were both _faking it_. Caroline faked it because she had been given chaperone duty over Elena, courtesy of Damon; Elena faked it because she knew exactly what Caroline was up to. But today was Elena's first day out from the house arrest imposed on her by Bonnie. Elena had plans of her own, and they didn't include any of her well-intentioned but overly protective friends.

Elena bit down into a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It was bland and tasteless, just like everything else she had eaten over the past few days. Since Stefan had gotten himself trapped in the tomb, she felt like her heart was without a home. And to add insult to injury, both Stefan and Damon tried to keep her on a very short leash ever since Elena had gotten it in her head to give herself up to Klaus. But today, Elena was determined to get away from their prying eyes for just a little while. There was only one place she wanted to go: _the tomb_. Elena just had to see Stefan, if only for a few minutes. She had to see his face, and hear his voice. She didn't care that both Stefan _and_ Damon did not want her going there; _she was __going._

When lunch was over and students were heading back inside, it was all too easy for Elena to slip away from Caroline. Elena hid outside until Caroline gave up looking and had gone back to class, then she made a break for it. For the time being, everything was working out very smoothly, and Elena got to thinking it was actually going to be a _good day_ for once. She had no idea just how wrong she was.

* * *

It was eerily quiet in the woods outside the tomb. Even the birds didn't seem to be chirping much; perhaps it was a bad omen, though Elena was too determined to give it much attention. She descended the stairs and peered into the dark and desolate tomb.

"Stefan?" Elena called out. Her voice echoed through the great stone chamber. She waited for him to come, but he didn't, and there was no response to her call, so she tried again. "Stefan? Hello?" She called out louder than before, but after waiting for another seemingly endless minute, there was still no response. There were no signs of life whatsoever, and that worried Elena tremendously. All kinds of worrisome scenarios began to play in her mind.

"Stefan!" Elena shouted one last time, and just like before, her call went unanswered. She knew that under normal circumstances, Stefan would have never ignored her like that. Something had to be dreadfully _wrong_. She got the urge to run into the tomb and find out, but she did not want to make the same mistake that Jeremy made; Katherine was just too dangerous.

Thinking quickly, Elena dropped her book bag and pulled out her cell phone. She got the idea to call Damon, but she decided against it at the last second, for the simple reason that he really couldn't do anything about it. Damon couldn't go into the tomb without getting trapped, and Elena didn't want to wait for him to assemble a search party to go in there after Stefan.

Elena decided that she had no choice but to take this matter into her own hands, and time was of the essence. She rummaged through her book bag, and found the tiny flashlight that she kept in there for emergencies. She checked it to make sure it still worked, and it did; although the batteries were weak, at least it would provide some light. She then unzipped the side pocket of her bag and pulled out the sharp wooden stake that she carried around for obvious reasons. It didn't seem so crazy to have one at a time like this. The stake wasn't much of a weapon, but at least she would have _something_ to defend herself with, if the need arose.

* * *

Armed with her stake and flashlight, Elena tried calling to Stefan one last time, and again she heard only her own voice echo back. She knew she couldn't afford to waste another minute if Stefan was in trouble, so she took a deep breath and entered. She tiptoed quietly into the tomb, one hand tightly gripping the stake, and the other with the flashlight, trailblazing herself a path of light through the dense shadows and dark passages. She listened intently for any sounds, but the tomb was silent except for her own footsteps and the occasional sound of dripping water.

Elena made her way through the corridors, and eventually reached the cavernous antechamber of the crypt. It was the light which caught her eye at first. Flickering candles mounted in wrought-iron candelabras adorned the walls. As Elena slowly walked towards the light, she nearly tripped over something in her path. The object rang out like a bell when she kicked it, and she aimed her flashlight downward to see what it was. It was just an empty bottle, but the more she looked around, the more bottles she found, and she noticed that they mostly seemed to congregate around a particular alcove in the tomb. It was a sign of life but an odd one, as Elena knew that Stefan didn't drink often, even when he was with her.

Elena tiptoed closer to investigate, when she discovered the scene that made her heart sink straight to her feet. It looked like some bizarre horror movie version of a vampire dormitory; her eyes followed the trail of empty bottles into the alcove to where Stefan laid, apparently passed out. But even more disturbing was the sight of _Katherine_ next to him, with one pale bare leg slung over his, and her arm draped around his chest, as if hugging a great big teddy bear. Not only that, but Katherine was wearing an oversized gray hoodie that was _obviously_ Stefan's. "_Oh my God!_" Elena blurted out in horror.

The sound of Elena's voice caused Katherine to stir. She awoke, and like a turtle, she popped her disheveled bed-head up from behind Stefan's broad shoulders. "Oh, it's _you_," Katherine remarked bitterly. "Be a doll and fetch us some breakfast? We're absolutely famished..." She then rested her head down on Stefan's chest and glared at Elena, as if saying "_he'll always be mine_." Elena stood frozen. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, yet there it was in front of her own eyes. Katherine wanted to have some fun, so she shook Stefan by the shoulder. "Wake up, lover!" she said sweetly, "We've got company."

Stefan stirred and opened his droopy eyes. "What?" he replied hoarsely. Katherine just smiled diabolically. Then Stefan turned his head and saw Elena, and he began to panic. "_Elena!_" he gasped.

Tears silently ran down Elena's cheeks. She could only manage to get out a few words: "_How could you_?" She couldn't stand to look at this scene any longer, and she didn't want to stick around for Stefan's excuses or explanations which would only serve to deepen the wound. Elena spun around and ran.

Stefan called after her: "Elena, wait! It's not what it looks like!"

* * *

Katherine laughed and watched the hilarious scene unfold with great amusement. The drama was very entertaining for her, but suddenly her instincts took over, and in a flash, she sprang up and raced through the tomb and caught Elena before she could reach the gate. Elena swung wildly with the stake, but Katherine easily dodged the primitive weapon. Katherine grabbed her from behind, and put her in a head lock so fast that she never had a chance to defend herself. "_Yes, Elena_... _please_ stay awhile. Welcome to our home... it's not often that we have guests," Katherine sneered devilishly. Elena struggled as hard as she could, but Katherine was wrapped around her like a deadly boa constrictor. The more she struggled, the tighter Katherine's grip became. Stefan watched in horror as it all happened, and he approached Katherine with extreme caution and apprehension, as if she was a vicious animal on the loose. It wasn't bad enough that Elena thought he slept with Katherine; now he had hostage situation to deal with.

Stefan held out his open hands, the universal sign of showing that he meant no harm. "Katherine, let her go," he said calmly.

Katherine licked her lips. "I'm starving, Stefan!"

"I know," he said. "I am too, but this isn't the answer." Stefan approached her slowly. "Katherine, please... let her go."

"Why? Out of the kindness of my cold, black heart?" Katherine mocked. She tightened her hold on Elena, and pulled her hair to the side, exposing the poor girl's bare neck. "But don't worry, Stefan," Katherine said sweetly. "I'll save some for you. What better way for us to celebrate our love and dedication to each other, than to bare our fangs and dine on Elena's blood together? It's so perfectly romantic..."

Stefan became more desperate as the situation had gone from bad to nightmarish in the blink of an eye, but he managed to restrain himself. He knew that any sudden move could push Katherine over the edge, and that would put Elena in _extreme danger._ "Please, you don't have to do this," he pleaded.

"I'll let her go," Katherine said, "on one condition: I want you to tell her the truth."

"_What_ truth?" Stefan asked.

"That you love me," Katherine said. "That she was _always_ a substitute." Stefan was horrified. Tears streamed from Elena's eyes; she looked down at the floor because she couldn't bear to look at Stefan. "Look at her, Stefan," Katherine continued, "she's always _known_ it, but I still think she needs to hear it from you."

"Katherine..." Stefan began.

"_Tell her!_" Katherine screamed, and violently pulled Elena by her hair, forcing her to look up towards Stefan. "This is your last chance! Tell her to her face, and then I'll let her go."

Stefan tried to appeal to her basic needs. "Let her go, and then I'll get you some blood."

"_Wrong answer!_" Katherine hissed. She tensed up her grip and spoke into Elena's ear: "When you're at home tonight, crying and nursing your wounds, just remember that it was _all Stefan's fault. _It was his idea to starve me. He should know better. A hungry Kat is even more dangerous and vicious than normal."

Stefan stepped it up and took a more aggressive stance. "_Don't you dare!_ I'll be on top of you before you get a drop out of her. You know that..."

"You willing to risk it?" Katherine asked. "I'm _stronger_ than the both of you put together, even under the circumstances."

Stefan attempted one more time to end the altercation peacefully. "Katherine, please... you don't have to do this. Don't you remember what we talked about last night?"

"You're trying to _manipulate_ me!" Katherine shouted. "This is about survival, Stefan. You were a fool for starving me, and if you think I'm going to let her go based on my feelings for you, you're a bigger fool than I ever imagined."

"But I _meant_ what I said," Stefan pleaded. "Katherine, _I meant it. _Please, just let her go."

After Stefan's words sank in, Katherine let her grip ease up, and then she just shoved Elena away. "_Get lost_," Katherine hissed bitterly. Elena was a whirlwind of emotions, and as soon as she was set free, she sprinted as fast as she could towards the exit.

Stefan went after her and caught her by the arm. "Elena! Please wait... I can explain," Stefan pleaded.

Elena spun around with tears in her eyes and anger on her face. "_Explain this!_" she shouted, and she plunged the stake hard into Stefan's thigh with impressive force for a seventeen year old girl. Stefan howled in pain, clutched at the stake, and dropped to the floor, groaning in misery, while Elena escaped from the tomb physically unharmed, but with a broken heart.

* * *

Katherine giggled. She was thoroughly enjoying the whole turn of events, and she had _fun_ playing her part in the madness. She sauntered over to Stefan as he writhed in agony. "Wow... _you really blew it!_" she cheekily exclaimed. "_I told you_ she had the Petrova fire! You just got _burned!_"

Stefan gritted his teeth as he yanked the bloody stake out of his leg. He gazed towards the tomb gate, but it was useless; Elena was already long gone. He _wished_ that it was just a nightmare, another crazy dream that Katherine had planted in his head. But it was not a dream; it was _real_, and Elena was _gone, _perhaps out of his life forever. And with all the trauma she had been through lately, Stefan really couldn't blame her if that were her choice.

It all happened so fast. He wondered if Elena would _ever_ forgive him. It's not like he actually _slept_ with Katherine, yet the betrayal seemed to be just as serious as if he had. Elena surely hadn't forgotten about when she discovered Katherine's photograph in Stefan's bedroom, and today's incident could only reinforce Elena's fear that he was only interested in her as a replacement for Katherine.

Stefan winced in pain and sat with his back against the wall. He clutched at his wound which would not heal fast enough due to the blood starvation he had been subjecting himself to.

"You must feel ripped off," Katherine said.

Stefan was confused. "What the hell are you talking about?" he gasped.

"I mean Elena broke up with you, and we didn't even really have sex," she explained. "What a waste! We could have done it and the end result would have been the same. Sucks for you, huh?"

"She didn't break up with me," Stefan groaned.

Katherine laughed hard. "Oh, of course not," she said mockingly. "Nothing says 'I'm happy with our relationship' like a puncture wound to the groin."

Stefan couldn't think of much to say. "_Shut up._"

She leaned over Stefan. "Anything I can do to make it better?" she asked suggestively. "Give me an hour, and you won't even remember her name. _Promise._"

"Leave me the hell alone," Stefan said angrily. He was still gobsmacked. He remained on the floor for what seemed like hours, while the wound on his thigh slowly closed itself up and the pain gradually subsided. The physical pain eventually eased up, but the mental anguish just kept building. He cursed Katherine's name under his breath over and over again; _he blamed her_ for this mess, and his apathy soon turned into boiling rage. _Katherine was right_ when she said that Stefan was a powder keg of emotions; only now, his fuse had been _lit_. He held on to the stake for a reason, and in a flash, he jumped up, caught Katherine completely by surprise, and pinned her against the wall with the sharp point of the stake pressed hard up against her throat. She gasped in shock as the stake drew a trickle of blood from her throat.

"_Why?_" he shouted in her face. "_Why?_" Katherine's eyes were cold and defiant in her silence. "Why is it that _every single tragedy_ in my life leads _straight back to you_, Katherine? Why?"

"Guess I'm not so easy to get out from under your skin," Katherine said cheekily.

"You're in _no position to be making jokes!_" Stefan growled through a clenched jaw."You took my love, but it wasn't enough! You took my blood; you took my humanity! You left me in a broken world... it all leads back to you!"

"Finally, he lets it out," Katherine said.

Stefan tensed his grip on the stake at her throat. He was now in a total rage, screaming in her face. "Don't think for a second that I won't kill you! I once called you an _angel_... now I know you're an _angel of death!_ Everything you touch, _you destroy!_ Everything you touch _dies!_"

It had been a while since he and Katherine had fought, and Stefan forgot just how much stronger she was. Without too much effort, Katherine spun out of his grip, kicked him in the back of his sore leg and tripped him up. Stefan hit the ground with a heavy thud and a cloud of dust.

"You can't blame me for everything!" she shouted defensively.

Stefan looked up from the ground. "Like hell I can't!" he shouted. He jumped up and charged at her, pinning her once again to the wall, this time with one hand choking her by the throat. She gasped under his iron-like grip, but again wriggled herself free, kicked him hard in the stomach, and tossed him to the floor. Stefan struggled to catch his breath.

"Elena was going to find out sooner or later that you still love me," she said. "It doesn't matter _how_ it happened or why."

"I _don't_ love you!" Stefan choked on the words. "I've never _hated_ anyone more than I hate you now."

"Hate is only the beginning," she said.

Stefan got up again and charged at her, flailing wildly with the stake. Katherine was quick to dodge the weapon, but he threw himself at her, tackled her, and pinned her down to the floor. She yelped in pain as her head crashed against the hard stone floor. Through her blurred vision, she saw Stefan plunge the stake at her chest, but she caught his wrist and held it just an inch or so before it hit her skin.

"You've got to admit," Katherine panted, "this is pretty hot. If the intensity of this fight is any indication... the make-up sex will be incredible." The fact that she could be getting turned on by all of this frustrated Stefan, and he got up and let her go.

"Are you _happy_?" Stefan fired back angrily. "You _finally_ got what you wanted! To tear me and Elena apart! Congratulations. You've won. What now?"

Katherine stood up and dusted herself off. "What do you want me to say, Stefan? That I'm _sorry_ for all I've done to make your life hell? That I'm _sorry_ Elena _knows_ you love me? That I'm _sorry_ she thinks you slept with me?" Katherine spouted bitterly. "Well I'm _not sorry_. This has been a long time coming. Did it ever occur to you how much _you hurt me_ when I see you giving _her_ all the love that was _meant for me_?"

That pissed Stefan right off, and in a flash he was right back in her face. "_Meant for you_?" he repeated. "What gives you such a sense of _entitlement_? I thought you were _dead_ for all those years! I moved on!"

"No you didn't, Stefan," she said. "That's just it. You didn't move on. You pride yourself on honesty, but you're a _liar_. You're lying to me, you're lying to Elena, and you're lying to yourself. There's something happening between us in here. I feel it and I know you feel it too."

Stefan shook his head. "You're delusional."

"Am I?" Katherine challenged. "What was all of that last night? What have we been doing here? You tell me what it means."

"I don't know!" Stefan shouted in frustration. "Probably just me being a fool, thinking I could reach out; thinking there was still a part of you with some humanity left."

Katherine became infuriated. She jumped at him, tackled him to the ground, and shook him by the collar. "Were you _playing me_?" she demanded. "_Were you?_" Stefan didn't say a word. She picked him up off the ground and threw him about ten feet across the tomb. He crashed into a candelabra, hitting his head on the cold iron, and he fell onto one of the lanterns, breaking it to bits. While Stefan shook the dizziness from his pounding head, Katherine hovered over his limp body. "_Don't ever_ play with my feelings," she warned.

Stefan picked himself up off the ground. "Did you really think that tearing my life apart would somehow make me fall in love with you again?" he went on. "Taking what you want by threats and by force? Did you really think that would work? Are you truly that twisted and heartless?"

"I can't stop when it comes to you!" Katherine protested. "I _want_ to kill anyone that gets between us. It's a shame that you'll never understand that level of dedication. You should be complimenting me for my _restraint_, because you haven't seen _anything_ yet!"

"You _destroyed_ me, Katherine... on so many levels," Stefan said. "You know that, don't you?"

"Now we can pick up the pieces and rebuild," she said.

"There is no 'we,' Katherine!" he shouted. "There wasn't before, and there certainly isn't now! I gave you my love and you robbed me of everything I had. You destroyed me. You killed me. You took my life and you left me in the shadows with this _curse_! It _all_ leads straight back to you!"

Katherine had been playing defense up until this point. But this time, she attacked first and took Stefan by surprise. She charged, kneed him in the stomach, and flipped him head over heels. The fall knocked the wind out of him, and she pinned him to the floor, grabbing him by the throat. "I gave you a great gift!" she shouted. "_You wanted this!_ You _wanted_ to be _with me_ forever; you said that _forever wasn't long enough_..."

"I was just a boy!" Stefan shouted. "How could you do that to me?"

"Be careful what you wish for," she said. "Sometimes you get it."

"You destroyed my life, and then you left me alone to clean up the mess!" Stefan shouted.

"Difficult choices had to be made, Stefan. I couldn't very well settle down and _play house_ with you while Klaus was out to kill me and everyone connected with me! I wouldn't let that happen to you."

Stefan was left speechless for the first time since they started fighting. He had never considered that Katherine might have faked her death for purposes other than those that were entirely self-serving. He hadn't considered that she gave up her own short term happiness for his safety. There was a silent moment and beneath her aggressive and unyielding grip, Stefan could see a glimpse of that tenderness and vulnerability in her eyes that she so expertly kept hidden from the world. And it wasn't a surprise when she brought her lips down onto his and kissed him with the same relentless passion and intensity that she fought with.

"Don't try to distract me from my _anger_," he growled.

Katherine answered by kissing him again. "We both know there are _only two ways_ this fight can end," she said softly. "The choice is yours."

Stefan aggressively rolled her over and in an instant, he was on top of her, planting kisses on her mouth, face, and down her neck. Katherine was in ecstasy. She moaned softly and surrendered to the pleasure of Stefan finally giving in. She was in bliss when he looked into her eyes with desire, and she waited with heavy anticipation for his lips to find hers again, but all she received was the violent and searing sting of wood tearing into her abdomen. She knew the pain of being staked quite well, but it was so much more painful with _Stefan,_ the love of her life, as the aggressor. She cried out as Stefan sadistically gripped the stake, twisted it, and drove it deeper into her flesh. He stood up and watched her squirm, taking pleasure in her suffering. Then he walked away, and left her writhing in agony on the floor.

With the fight apparently over, Stefan went to his bag and pulled out a bottle of water and a towel to clean up, when Katherine creeped up behind him and broke a wine bottle over his head. "Enough foreplay," she panted, short of breath. She licked his blood from the broken glass. Katherine was bloody and bruised, but _far_ from beaten. Stefan reached for a shard of glass and slashed wildly, slicing into her shoulder. She screamed and jumped back. "You're insatiable," she moaned. "I didn't think you had the stamina to keep up with me."

In a flash, they were back at it again, stabbing and slashing at each other with broken glass and the one wooden stake which exchanged hands several times. They grappled, tackled, staked, and stabbed at each other with the relentless ferocity of wolverines. Hair was pulled, bones were cracked, flesh was sliced, and blood was splattered, painting the gray stone walls in spots of deep red. They gnashed and bit, filling their mouths with each other's blood. Their fighting was punctuated with periods of verbal sparring and more heated, sexually charged near-misses. It was a literal showing of blood, sweat, and tears, and they didn't stop until the blood loss was so severe that they both collapsed.

Neither could find the strength to stand up, and they remained immobile on the floor. They laid in silence for what had to be hours, struggling to catch their breath, each waiting for their bodies to heal, but the blood starvation made the healing process impossibly slow. Katherine turned her head to look at Stefan. He was on his back, clutching at his chest wounds in quiet misery. She didn't have the energy to say much, but she finally managed to get out what she wanted to say all along: "I love you, Stefan."

Stefan gasped for air. "You've sure got a strange way of showing it."


	7. Hell is Where the Heart is

**WITHIN THESE WALLS**

**CHAPTER 7: HELL IS WHERE THE HEART IS **

* * *

Elena ran from the tomb as fast as she could. The wind was cool against her face as she ran through the woods, jumping over muddy puddles and stomping through the crunchy leaves. It was as if she was running for her _life_; not because she was being chased, but because she felt like if she stopped, she might die. She felt that as long as she kept running, her mind and body stayed busy, and that kept her from thinking about what had just happened. She dreaded the moment when she would stop, and it would all come flooding back; all of the hurt and the emotional trauma would just completely overwhelm her.

Undecided about where to go, Elena just kept on running without a destination. She felt like she couldn't go anywhere, and she didn't _belong_ anywhere. She definitely did not want to go home. She didn't want to see Jeremy or anyone else right now, nor did she want to be seen out in public with her puffy eyes and emotionally volatile state. She just needed to find a place where she could disappear for a while.

Elena reached the edge of the woods so and crossed over into the old cemetery. She passed the mausoleum of Honoria Fell, and past dozens of headstones and monuments, when she began to slow her pace to a jog. She went by her parents' headstones, which still looked fresh and clean, and made her think about just how little time had passed since they died. So much had happened in her life since then that it felt like much longer. She didn't stop because she didn't want to wallow in the past. She just wanted to find a way to get through this awful day and move forward.

Eventually Elena's sore legs and accelerated pulse forced her to slow down and eventually come to a stop. She caught her breath, picked a shady spot under some pine trees and sat down. It was a place she had retreated to many times in the past when she wanted to be alone, and today was certainly one of those times. It was rare to even see another person in the cemetery, and so no one ever bothered her there. No one except Stefan, that is.

_Stefan_. The thought started her crying again. She replayed the whole tomb scene over and over again in her mind; not because she _wanted_ to, but because it was burned into her memory and she couldn't get rid of it. She just sat in the soft bed of pine needles surrounded pine cones and cried until she couldn't anymore. Then she tried taking out her schoolbooks and doing some homework in a desperate attempt to change her state of mind. It worked for a little while, until she felt the hollow emptiness creeping back and the tears started up again. It came and went in waves, and the cycle seemed endless.

Elena stayed under the pines until the sun started going down and it was too dark to read. She didn't realize it had gotten so late. She suddenly remembered how she had ditched Caroline, and realized that everyone had to be worried sick by now. She pulled out her cell phone which she had deliberately left switched off all day, and she checked her messages: Caroline, Caroline, Jeremy, Caroline, Bonnie, Jeremy, Damon, Caroline, Bonnie, Jeremy, Jeremy, Damon, Bonnie, Caroline, Caroline, Caroline. Elena sighed. At least it was nice to see that she had friends she could depend on, though she did not particularly care to see any of them right away.

Elena wanted to quell the fears of the search party that was likely forming in her honor, so she made a brief call to Jeremy to explain that she would be home later. But first, she had a decision to make. She had become accustomed to turning to Stefan for comfort in difficult times. Of course, she could go to Jeremy, or Caroline, or Bonnie; they would hug her and give her a shoulder to cry on, and tell her that everything would work out, and reassure her that she would be okay, and say whatever they could to make her feel better. They each offered comfort in their own way, which was fine. But this time was different. Elena _didn't want _comfort this time. In fact, _comfort_ was exactly what she wanted to _avoid_. She felt bruised and beaten, yet she had _questions_ that required answers, and she wanted the truth, even if it ended up causing her more pain and suffering at the moment. Once she came to grips with that concept, it was simple for Elena to make her decision. She knew there was only one person who could shed some light on those questions and tell her the hard truths: _Damon._

* * *

The sun had completely gone down by the time Elena arrived at the boarding house. She knocked on the huge wooden door. Damon opened it almost instantly, as if he was just on his way out. His expression was a mix of surprise, relief, and anger, and he had his cell phone pressed to his ear. "Guess what? She just showed up on my doorstep. Gotta go." he spoke into the phone.

Damon pocketed his phone. "Where _the hell_ have you been?" he asked Elena with an aggressive tone. "Half of the town is looking for you!" Once he had vented some of his anger, Damon noticed that her eyes were puffy and her face glistened, and he could tell right away that she had been crying. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Elena stepped inside the house and Damon closed the door behind her. She thought she had run out of tears, but for some strange reason, stepping into the boarding house set her off again. "_Stefan..._" Elena sniffed. "I think he's sleeping with Katherine." Reciting the awful words made her break down into unrestrained sobbing.

Damon's anger quickly melted away upon seeing her cry, leaving concern in its place. "What?" he gasped, a look of incredulity on his face. "_How..._"

"I went inside the tomb," Elena interrupted. "I saw them... _together_... she attacked me... it was awful," she cried.

Damon felt his anger rising. "_You went into the tomb_? Have you _completely_ lost your mind?" He was furious, but he restrained himself. He couldn't go off on her when she was clearly having an emotional breakdown. "What did you see?" he asked.

"Enough!" Elena cried. Her voice was getting hoarse. "I saw _enough_, Damon."

That was all Damon needed to hear. Enraged, he stomped down into the foyer and came back with two wooden stakes, one in each hand, and he made his way towards the door.

The sight of Damon furiously charging out the door with stakes sent Elena into a panic. "_Wait!_" she pleaded. "Damon, where are you going?" She asked, even though she _knew_ full well where he was going.

"I'm going to kill Katherine," he said calmly, holding up one stake. "And then, depending on how I feel, I might give Stefan multiple puncture wounds for being _an idiot jackass_." He held up the other stake.

Elena saw the fire in his eyes. She knew that he was _dead serious_, and it scared her. "Damon! Please! Think, before you act!"

"You know what? You're _right_..." Damon huffed. He eyed a pair of antique sabers mounted on the wall and took one down. He admired the cold steel blade and ran his finger along it, carefully checking it for sharpness. "_They hurt you_... I should use something _much more_ _painful_ than just old-fashioned stakes."

"But you can't go in there! You'll be trapped in there with them!" Elena objected frantically.

"Revenge has it's price," Damon fumed. He headed for the door.

Elena caught him by the arm and tried to hold him back with all of her strength. "Damon, _please. _I need you _out here_... not stuck in the tomb," she pleaded desperately. "Revenge won't solve anything. _Please_..."

"Alright..." Damon relented. With a sigh, he put away the weapons and took a few minutes to calm down.

* * *

Elena stepped into the foyer and plopped herself down on her favorite sofa with the orange cushions. She pulled her long sleeves over her hands and dabbed at her eyes with the cloth.

"So what the hell happened?" Damon asked with a mix of crazed frustration and concern. He was still confused and wanted a better picture of the situation. "I know they're both blood starved in there. They're suffering, and that's bound to make them do some crazy things..."

That started Elena sobbing again. "If they're supposed to be suffering, I couldn't tell. They sure looked _very comfortable together!_" she cried out. "I saw their horrible little _love nest!_ They were snuggled up together like... like... old lovers, I suppose. Katherine was even wearing Stefan's hoodie over her stupid, slutty dress. It's obvious that _something_ is happening between them."

Damon was aghast. "Damn it!" he blurted out. "It's my fault! I told him he should bond with her so he could get the information about the witch to get out of there..." He shook his head.

"Don't be ridiculous," Elena said. "If anything, it's _my fault_. It's _my fault_ for not seeing it coming. I should have pressed Stefan for answers back when I discovered Katherine's picture in his room. I should have broke it off right then..." She shook her head. "Instead, I just let it slide... I buried my head in the sand... and I let him sweet talk himself out of it, like so many other things... I _wanted_ to believe him. I _wanted to believe_ he was over Katherine. I was naive. And now I'm paying the price." She dabbed at her wet eyes. "Fool me twice, shame on me."

"So what are you saying?" Damon asked.

Elena wiped her nose and frowned. "What do you _think_ I'm saying?" She shook her head.

"I think you're _hurt_, and you're lashing out at Stefan," Damon said. "Go home and get some rest. Maybe things will seem clearer in the morning."

Elena shook her head. "I don't think so. It's different this time."

Damon shook his head. "I just find it hard to believe that Stefan would cave in _so fast_..." he said.

Elena's ears perked up. "_So fast_?" she repeated. "Implying that you _suspected_ that he would cave in, eventually?"

"No... it's not that. Never mind." Damon sighed and shook his head. "Are you _really sure_ they're sleeping together?"

"No, I'm not," Elena admitted. "But I really don't care."

Damon was confused. "What do you mean?"

"I just don't care this time, Damon," Elena sniffed. "I've thought about this all day long, and I've decided that it really _doesn't matter_. It _doesn't even matter_ if they slept together or not. There's _something_ between them that's so tangible and... _obvious_... and that hurts... it hurts so much... _especially_ after Stefan assured me he had no lingering feelings for Katherine. He's obviously _lying_, or in deep denial... or maybe some of both." She sniffed and rubbed her eyes. "So I still feel _betrayed_ no matter what they're doing, or not doing, in there. What happened today was a real eye-opener, and a wake up call for me."

"Can I get you a drink or something?" he asked. Damon suddenly decided that this situation called for some hard liquor.

"What do you have?" she asked.

"Bourbon, brandy... blood?" That got a half-smile out of Elena, which was nice to see, and unexpected.

"Anything with alcohol," Elena said. Damon grabbed the crystal and swiftly poured two glasses; a tall one for himself, and one quarter-full for her. He took the glasses over to the sofa and sat down next to her. "Thanks," Elena said. She put the glass to her lips and threw back the bitter, caramel-colored liquid. In two quick gulps, it was gone. She shuddered at the taste. "Wow; that's pretty bad," she groaned.

Damon smiled. "Gets the job done, though," he said, taking a long drink. "Another?"

"I don't think so," Elena said. "You know," she continued, "after seeing them lying there together like a couple, I didn't think it could get any worse, but it did. As I was running away, Katherine caught me," she explained. "She had me totally at her mercy. She threatened to feed on me..."

Damon glanced at her neck which showed no bite marks. "But she obviously_ didn't_," he said.

"The thing is, I almost wish she _had_ bitten me," Elena said hoarsely.

Damon frowned in bewilderment. "Why would you say that?"

"Because she let me go _for him_," Elena explained. "Stefan got through to her. There has to be something authentic between them for her to just give up a meal like that. I mean this is _Katherine_ we're talking about; _selfish, sadistic, survivalist_ Katherine. And she just let me go free! That bothers me so much... I know that must be difficult to understand."

"Not as difficult as you might think," Damon said, taking another drink.

"So anyway, she just let me go," Elena went on. "Stefan tried to catch me on the way out to explain... but I didn't want to hear it. I was so traumatized and blind with rage, I just pegged him in the leg with a stake."

Damon fought back laughter. "You really did that?"

"I'll probably feel bad about that later," Elena sighed. Her voice was getting raspier. "But right now, I don't. That's what happened..." She looked at Damon. "Sorry for unloading my emotional baggage on you. I know I must sound pretty crazy, huh?"

"Not crazy," Damon said, and he took a drink. "_Human_. You sound human_._"

* * *

"You know, there's a reason I came _here_ tonight, instead of going home," Elena said.

Damon smirked. "Because I'm such _delightful_ company and you just can't stay away?"

Elena half-smiled. "Actually, I have a some questions, and I think you might have some answers."

Damon anticipated where this was heading, and he didn't like it one bit. "Let me take you home. You're tired. Get some sleep, and we'll deal with it tomorrow." He stood up, hoping she would follow, but she remained seated.

"No. I have to do this _right now_, Damon," she insisted. "Otherwise, I might lose my nerve."

Damon tried again. "Let's not go there. You've been through enough for one day. Let me take you home."

"_Please_, Damon," Elena pleaded. "I know you don't want to see me in any more pain, but I need answers, even if they cause deeper wounds right now. Stefan has hidden a number of things from me... _important_ things. Things that should never have been kept secret between people who supposedly love each other. Understand what I mean?"

"I understand perfectly. I'm just not going to rat out my brother," Damon said.

"Implying that he has something to hide?" Elena prodded.

Damon frowned. "No! It's just not my place to get involved! If you've got questions about Stefan and Katherine, why don't you ask them yourself, and leave me out of it?"

"Because I can't trust Stefan to be entirely forthcoming and truthful in his answers; especially not after what happened today," she said. "Stefan has a history of hiding things from me, and I think he still bottles up a lot of his feelings. But you've always been honest with me."

"I need another drink." Damon declared grumpily. He got up and went to refill his glass. He knew what she was going to ask.

"Did Stefan ever get over Katherine?" Elena's voice nearly cracked as she asked the first question.

Damon shrugged. "I'm not a mind reader, Elena. I don't have any answers for you," he said firmly. "Sorry."

"But I need to know," Elena persisted.

"Look, Elena. I don't know if you've figured this out yet, but Stefan and I aren't exactly _close _as brothers," Damon said, mildly agitated. "We don't _share feelings_, or any of that crap. I don't know what's going on in Stefan's head any more than you do."

"But you must have your own thoughts about it," Elena said. "I want to know."

Damon absolutely hated the way she was begging for more pain, but she just wouldn't take no for an answer. He threw back a big gulp of bourbon, and then let loose with his own thoughts on the matter: "Stefan had believed Katherine was dead, until I showed up in town... but as far as getting over her? I really don't know. I can't be sure. He told me he spent years trying to figure out if what they had was even real. For a while he was convinced she had compelled his love, but I'm not sure if he even believes that one anymore... so I don't know. And honestly, I'm not convinced that Stefan believes his own rhetoric when it comes to Katherine."

"Why would he dedicate _years_ to pondering over it, if he didn't care about her?" Elena asked.

"That's what I said," Damon said. "But Stefan didn't want to hear it. After that, he became real closed off in regards to Katherine."

"Apparently, because he found _me_ as a... _distraction_..." Elena muttered under her breath. She bit her shirt sleeve nervously. "In your opinion... is he over her, or not?" she asked.

"In my opinion..." Damon paused to think. He sighed. "Not entirely. I can't see how or when he ever truly_ let go_." He took a drink. "Sorry..."

Elena nodded. "It's alright. I don't want to be in the dark about these things anymore." The answer was not sugar-coated or easy-going, just like she expected from Damon. "Do you think he still has strong feelings for her right now?" she asked, her voice wavering.

Damon sighed. "Well, he had a chance to _kill her_, but he hesitated; he admitted that much to me. Then when we were supposed to kill her at the Masquerade Ball, Stefan seemed quick to try to back out of it. I had to give him a pep talk to keep him motivated, but I still didn't feel like I could depend on him one-hundred percent. Does that suggest there are lingering feelings? _Possibly_. But I wouldn't know what those feelings are all about."

"Whose idea was it to put her in the tomb? Stefan's or yours?" she asked.

"That was mine," Damon said.

"What about you?" Elena asked.

"_What_ about me?" Damon quickly replied.

"Are you over her?" Elena asked with a bit of trepidation.

Damon shot her an inquisitive glance. "Why would you care?" Damon fired back. "I thought we were talking about Stefan."

Elena shook her head. "Never mind..." she said, staring at the floor. "Does he..." She choked on the words, paused, and tried again: "Do you think he loves her?"

"I have no clue," Damon said.

"In your opinion?" Elena asked.

Damon paced around the room nervously. "I just don't know. Honestly, I'm not convinced that _Stefan himself _knows, either."

Elena looked at the floor and rubbed her eyes. She grabbed a cushion from the sofa and hugged it anxiously in preparation for the hardest question. "Do you think Stefan is using me as a replacement for Katherine?" The tears began to stream again.

"No," Damon said quickly. "If I ever suspected he was doing _that_, this household would have become much more _violent_."

"What about in the beginning?" Elena pressed on. "He's admitted that the initial attraction was because I looked just like her."

Damon tossed back another half-glass of bourbon in one gulp. He looked around the room, and he ran his hand through his hair, before finally breaking the silence. "In the very beginning... _maybe_," he said. "But now? No! I don't believe that's the case at all. He loves you for who you are. Elena, you're _not Katherine_. You're a different person."

"But I'm not an _entirely_ different person," Elena said sadly. She dried her eyes on her sleeve. "If I was, Stefan and I most likely never would have met. And maybe I would have been better off."

* * *

Damon figured Elena had been through enough for one day, and he wanted to call it a night. "Look, I'm going to check on Rose for a minute," he said quietly. "Then I'll take you home, okay?"

"Okay," Elena agreed.

Damon nodded and made his way out of the foyer.

"Damon..." she called after him.

He looked back. "Yeah?"

"Thank you."

Damon shrugged and headed directly upstairs, wondering all along the way _how_ she could possibly thank him _for that_. He entered his bedroom to find Rose laying awake, her head poking out from under the sheets, her dark hair contrasting against the white cotton. She looked a bit pale, and appeared to be getting weaker. The infection from the werewolf bite was spreading, and didn't show any signs of slowing down. Damon knew that the next few days would be critical in determining if the bite was truly fatal.

"How are you feeling?" Damon asked. He sat down on the edge of the bed.

"A bit weak and nauseous," the English girl spoke quietly and deliberately. "But other than that, not too bad."

"How long have you been awake?" he asked out of curiosity.

"Long enough," she said knowingly.

"So then... you heard _all of __that_?" he asked, motioning towards the door.

"Every word," Rose said. "So... how are _you_ doing?"

"Peachy!" Damon jumped up in a huff. "Just peachy fucking keen, Rose. Thanks _so much_ for asking!" he snidely remarked.

"No need to be snippy," Rose admonished.

"Let's see," Damon began, "I've got you suffering from a wolf bite, my brother _losing his mind_ inside the tomb with his psychotic ex, Originals out to _kill_ Elena... oh, and on top of all of that, she chose _me_ to assist her with a gruesome autopsy of a love," Damon rambled on. "So _forgive me_ if I'm not in the best of moods."

"Is that all?" Rose asked playfully. "Sounds like a slow day in the life of Damon Salvatore."

Damon gulped. "It was like Elena came to me with a knife in her heart, and she just kept on begging me to push it in deeper. What was I supposed to do?"

"You did _exactly_ what you were supposed to do," Rose said. "Exactly what she came to you for."

Damon paced around the room. "But I'm _useless_. I can't take away her pain, Rose," he said despondently. "So what am I good for?"

"She has to embrace it, or she'll never be free from it," Rose said groggily. "She knows that. That's why she turned to you first."

Damon nodded hesitantly. "Maybe."

Rose yawned and closed her eyes. "Sleepy..." she said.

"Alright," Damon said quietly. "I'm going to take Elena home now. Be back soon."

Rose smiled. "Take your time. She needs you right now."

"I somehow doubt that," Damon muttered on his way out. He went back downstairs to find the heart-rending sight of Elena stretched out on the sofa, sound asleep. He left the room and came back with a quilt, and carefully draped it over her. Then he poured himself another bourbon, and he drank eagerly, and when it was all gone, he did it _again_. Over and over again. It was a long night.


	8. The Blood Spattered Bride

**WITHIN THESE WALLS**

**CHAPTER 8: THE BLOOD SPATTERED BRIDE**

* * *

**..:1864:..**

The crescent moon faded into the ethereal blue-orange glow of dawn. Bags were packed, the carriage was waiting, and Stefan hoisted Katherine up by her corseted waist into the back of the wagon, her 19th century dress billowing in the breeze; so elegant, yet so impractical considering the circumstances. Such were many things in the era. It was early when they quietly fled from the Salvatore plantation without fanfare or goodbyes. The sun had just begun to creep over the horizon as Henry, her faithful servant, drove the horses onward. The squeak of wooden wheels and clop-clop of horses' hooves droned on while they sat, her calfskin-gloved hand meshed and entwined with his bare fingers. It was going to be a bumpy ride in more than one sense, Stefan thought, but so was anything else worth doing. _She_ was worth it. There was no other like Katherine.

It was crazy. She never thought she'd end up here. She was a fugitive; a runner; a survivor. Even during peaceful times, her thoughts were always chaotic. She _always_ had to look over her shoulder, _always_ had to suspect, _always_ had to stay ten steps ahead, because _they_ were _always_ coming for her. Her lifestyle just didn't _allow_ room for anyone else besides herself. It wasn't a matter of choice, but one of necessity. She never got attached, yet it happened. Katherine had no rules, but she had _ideas_, and they served her well. Her resourcefulness kept her _alive_. Lie, cheat, steal, manipulate, threaten, kill; nothing was off the table when it came down to survival. She used and abused others without a care in the world; they were always just a part of her plan, a means to get from one point to the next. Life was a bitch, so she became one too. But of all the things she did, she never let herself get attached. Nothing good could come from it. It could only end in tears, or worse: _blood_. It was crazy. She never thought she'd end up here. Love makes you do crazy things.

Parting is such sweet sorrow. Leaving was never an issue in the should have compelled him, made him forget. There was still time for that, she told herself. It wasn't fair, but _nothing_ in her centuries of existence was _fair_. She should have faked her death. That might have bought her a few extra years of freedom. She should have left, ran away, disappeared like a ghost in the night, just like the other times. It used to be so simple, but this time was different. It was different because for the very first time, she had to _say goodbye_. She wanted to see him just one last time, so she slipped into his bedroom late at night. Just a silent, single-ended goodbye; a kiss on the forehead while he slept, she thought. She didn't expect him to wake up. By then it was too late; she _couldn't_ leave him, and he wouldn't _let her_ leave him. So they left _together_.

Katherine watched the moving trees from the window of the carriage, while Stefan watched _her_. They went on like that for a while until he couldn't help himself but to reach out and grab her attention; two fingers against her soft chin that drew her gaze towards his own, and he saw that her smile was still incomplete, just as it was the night before.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Stefan asked.

"I'm not sure how," Katherine said.

Stefan bit his lip, a telling of nervous apprehension. "Is it about... Damon?" At least his charming insecurity proved to light up her smile.

"No!" She playfully slapped his shoulder. "And when will you ever stop worrying about _Damon_? I love _you_. Is it not enough that we're eloping together?"

"I guess I'm just the jealous type," Stefan admitted. "And when it comes to _you_, I'm the _very jealous_ type."

"I know your father wished us to be properly wed," Katherine said sadly. "I know you never wanted to defy him."

"All that matters is that we're together," Stefan said. "But you still haven't told me _why_ you're in such a hurry to leave Mystic Falls."

Her expression grew dim. "My past haunts me, Stefan. There are things I don't quite know how to deal with... and..." She paused, considering the gravity of what she was about to say. "_I'm scared._" It was the first time she had ever said those words out loud. Stefan made her feel those things she had long forgotten; both good and bad. Her suit of armor, the _numbness_ of indifference that she enshrouded herself in for so long was falling away, and that was scary, because it left her vulnerable in more ways than one.

"Katherine, _nothing_ can change the way I feel about you, if that's what you're worried about," Stefan assured her. "I accept what you are. It doesn't matter that we're... _different_. I will still love you until I draw my last breath... and then we'll be together again."

"You don't have to think about that," Katherine said, brushing off the thought.

"I don't have to think; I _know_," Stefan said. "When I said I wanted to be with you forever, I meant it... through all of the good and the bad."

"You have to be very careful what you wish for, Stefan," she said softly. "Sometimes you get it." The carriage hopped over a bump, and she effortlessly fell into his kiss.

* * *

**..:home:..**

"This is it," Stefan said, pointing out of the carriage.

Just over the hills, amidst the dusty southern landscape, stood an old farmhouse that Stefan's grandfather had built with his own bare hands. After the old man's death, the house hadn't been lived in for years, and was practically forgotten. The house had fallen into disrepair, but it offered them a welcome refuge away from the rest of the world.

"You can let us off here, Henry," Katherine called out.

Henry reined in the horses and brought the carriage to a halt, and the two lovers barrelled out of the carriage and made their way to the house.

"You're supposed to carry me over the threshold, Stefan!" Katherine teased.

"But don't I have to invite you in?" Stefan asked curiously. "How does that work?"

"It'll work. It's the intent that matters, so _carry me home!_" She playfully leaped into his arms and he carried her into the farm house, the hardwood floorboards creaking underfoot.

Stefan set her down and they began to explore the place like children in awe. "I haven't been here in years," he said. "But it's just like I remembered."

The house was very modest; it was drastically smaller than the Salvatore plantation, and was certainly primitive by Katherine's aristocratic standards. Yet she didn't seem to mind it at all. On the contrary, she seemed more than pleased with it.

"It's perfect," she said, clasping her hands together. "This is like a dream come true."

"Want me to give you the tour of the house?" he asked.

Katherine smiled. "You'll have to _find me_ first!" She giggled and sped off into the house, leaving Stefan to chase after her.

"But you're _too good_," Stefan called out. He walked down the creaky hall, peeking into doorways, opening closets, looking for clues to find his playful lover. "You're too fast..."

"And too _stealthy_," Katherine's husky whisper caught his ear from behind, and Stefan's vision went dark when she wrapped her hands over his eyes and kissed his neck. "You know, I _could _bite you," she said with a husky whisper, kissing his neck, "_any_ time I want... and there's _nothing_ you could do to stop me."

"I _don't want to_ stop you," Stefan said, feeling her hot breath on his neck. "I _want you_ to feed from me. _Always_."

"Have I corrupted you so much already?" Katherine teased. "You've come a long way from the boy who was frightened by my _dirty little secret_." He drew in a quick breath at the familiar sting of her fangs breaking the skin at the base of his neck. It only hurts if you struggle or flinch, and he did neither. He surrendered to the unique pleasure of his lover drawing out his blood, slaking her thirst on his life force and making it her very own.

* * *

**..:sunset:..**

The more time passed, and the more Katherine allowed herself to slip into the illusion of their life together, the harder it was to break away. Days were spent frolicking in the fields, gathering apples and garden greens, reading to each other under the shade of a willow tree, while nights were spent inside, making rabid love and sharing blood in such sinful ways that, if witnessed, surely would have caused the pious townsfolk to chase them away with pitchforks and crucifixes.

She sat outside one evening at sunset, feeling the breeze against her skin as the colder air from the north moved in. He was chopping a log into some smaller pieces of firewood with an old hatchet. She should have compelled him then, but she didn't. She could have made him forget, and told him to go back to Mystic Falls, back home where he belonged. But she didn't. Robbing him of his memories still would have left a hole, a gap, the pain of something missing, something that he couldn't quite put his finger on. There was no easy way out. So she didn't. Perhaps she was just being selfish again. She was good at that. Surviving for so long on her own had made her exceptionally _skilled_ in the art of selfishness. She certainly had plenty of practice. Sometimes, selfishness was all she had to hang on to.

When she dabbed at her eye and caught a tear as it fell, he once again asked her what it was all about.

"This is all I've ever really wanted," she said. It truly _was_ all she'd ever wanted, and it was everything she could never have.

"Then why do you seem to be upset lately?" Stefan asked, his concern as genuine as always.

"I'm just so _happy_." That was her breathless reply. After so many centuries, happiness had found _her_. She hadn't even been looking for it. She _didn't care_ enough to look for it, but it showed up at her door. Happiness had found her, and it_ hurt_. It tortured her mercilessly.

* * *

**..:destiny:..**

It was time to run again.

It was too soon, yet not soon enough. She had let herself carry on for too long, yet it was so short. She couldn't help it. The illusion was beautiful, but it was not meant to last. It _couldn't_ last. The longer she stayed, the harder it was to pull away. It was foolish from the beginning. It was foolish to indulge a fantasy that couldn't possibly sustain itself in reality. She had to run again. It was her birthright as a Petrova doppelganger. It was her destiny, either to be hunted forever, or to roll over and die for the sake of some stupid curse. She never regretted her choice. You had to work with the hand you were dealt, she thought. Life was a bitch, so she became one too.

Katherine sat alone by the lamp's glow at a solitary desk made of cherry wood. It was late at night, and after Stefan had gone to bed, she penned a note on four pages of a fine wood-pulp paper. For someone starting to feel again, it was a most heartrending task. It was an autopsy of a love. Upon finishing the last page, she read back her own words several times. She took painstaking measures to ensure that the letter explained it all. It told the story of the innocent girl called Katerina Petrova, and how she became the vampire known as Katherine Pierce. It told who Klaus was, how he had murdered everyone she'd ever loved, how the bodies were still warm when she got back home. It explained why she had been on the run forever, and would continue to run forever.

She penned in her final paragraphs:

_For nearly four hundred years, my only concern has been for my own survival. Klaus still hunts me to this very day, a fate imposed upon me from birth, and there is every reason to believe that he will kill anyone close to me, just as he has done in the past. I do not want you to share this fate with me. In knowing the reality of my own situation, I should have never come here. It was selfish for me to do so, but selfishness is what I do best. _

_Please know that my days with you have been the happiest of my life, though out of necessity, they must end now. You deserve true love and a normal life, a home, a family, and children of your own; all of the things which are impossible to have with me. A life with me will only bring you suffering, madness, and death._

_You once called me an angel. I wish that were true, but it is not. It may have been true once, a very long time ago, but it is not who I am now. Not anymore. That person died many years ago. So very little of that person remains with me today, yet somehow, you managed to find what remains. I wish it could last, but it cannot. If you only take one thing from this letter, please let it be this:_

_Know that of what little heart I have left, it beats for you._

When Katherine had read each page over, and was satisfied that no detail was left out, she dried her eyes and signed it. She folded the letter and stuffed it into an envelope, along with the ring that Stefan had placed on her finger all too recently. A bit of hot wax dripped from a candle served as a seal.

It was done.

All that was left was to _run_. She was good at that.

* * *

**..:interlude:..**

It was all she could do.

It all unraveled so fast.

Katherine pulled at a loose thread on her sleeve. It was all she could do while she sat in the back of the carriage in the middle of the night. The squeal of wooden wheels and clop-clop of horse hooves drove her mad while Henry drove the horses further into the night, taking her further and further away from _him_. She tugged at the thread. It was all she could do _not_ to imagine him reading the letter, casting the pages into the fireplace, throwing the ring across the room in anger. She could have compelled him, but it would have left a hole. _Time_ would have to heal these wounds now. She pulled the thread, marveling at how it just kept getting longer and longer and _growing_ in her undoing. It was all she could do not to think, and not to _feel_.

And within her unraveling, was a neighing of horses and a jolt. And there was Henry shouting something unintelligible before the big crash that shook her and rolled the carriage over. And then there was black everywhere. There was black over her eyes. There was the familiar burning and blistering of her skin when her wrists were bound. Vervain. The ropes were soaked in vervain. She struggled while being dragged through the mud. All of this proved that _they_ were stronger, and they were prepared, and she knew what it all meant.

It all unraveled so fast.

* * *

**..:fate:..**

There was only black in her eyes, but her ears were filled with her own shouting, the pounding of her own heart, the shuffling of feet, the creak of the rope as her captors hung her up by her bound hands. There was the smell of hay, grass, dirt, and burning kerosene. There were the footsteps of leather riding boots on the soft ground. There was a male voice groaning. She didn't need to see to know that it was Stefan. And then there was an authoritative male voice giving orders. She didn't need to see to know who it was. He needed no introduction.

When the bag was pulled from her head, there was light; a single lamp within the darkness swung from a rope like the pendulum of a clock, tied to the rafters of the old barn, just like she and Stefan. The lamp swung with its tick-tock timing and casting of light and shadow, shadow and light, back and forth, over and over. She saw Stefan when the light hit him, the front of his shirt bloody. She could see he was just barely hanging onto consciousness. He didn't speak, or he couldn't speak, but his expression said enough. He kept his eyes fixed to the ground, save for a moment when he looked up and caught her fleeting glance, and in that moment, his look of defeat, heartbreak, and betrayal shot through her like an arrow. All she could think about was how she had _fought so hard_ to make sure it wouldn't end like this. But what did she expect? She should have known better. She should have known that she would never get a happy ending. She didn't deserve one. He didn't deserve _this_. Everyone she ever loved had died. She shouldn't have expected any different. It was her fault, and yet it wasn't _all_ her fault. She couldn't help who she loved. She couldn't help who she was. She couldn't help it that she was born to die. _Fate_ was a bitch, so she became one too.

And then there was the man, the leader, their tormentor, just a silhouette of a shadow of a face that she hadn't seen in hundreds of years, and hoped she would never see again. He needed no introduction.

_Klaus_.

"Katerina," Klaus said with dry charm, "how I've missed you. It's been far too long since I've seen your pretty face." He reached out his leather-gloved hand to gently caress the side of her face. "The years have treated you kindly, I see. You barely look a day past nineteen."

"Go to hell," Katherine spat.

"I've been. It's much more pleasant than one would expect. But truly, that's not a proper greeting for _an old acquaintance_," he facetiously admonished. "You could use a lesson in manners." Klaus paced about the room ominously. The sight of Katherine bound up and helpless after her centuries of evading him gave him great amusement. And to also have her lover was just beautifully poetic, in Klaus' twisted mind. "I'm very much enjoying this _Southern vigilante justice_... so roguish and brutal... so very _American_," Klaus said, pumping his gloved fist. "I think I could get used to living here."

"Let him go," Katherine pleaded. "I'm the one you want. Kill me."

"My dear, if you had only said that way back when we first met, it would have solved _so many_ problems," Klaus bellowed hard. "But to kill you now would be _merciful_... and you know very well that I don't do _mercy._"

"Please let him go. He's done nothing to deserve this," Katherine repeated. "Do whatever you want with me."

"How _sickeningly altruistic_," Klaus spat. "It's so very _out of character_ for you, Katerina. What have you become?"

A shiny object in Klaus' hand glimmered and reflected in the shaky light. She recognized it as Stefan's shaving razor. As if reading her mind, Klaus unfolded the straight razor and held the blade under Katherine's eye. "It's German steel," he whispered. "Strong, sharp, cold, _precise_..." With a flick of his wrist, he slashed a deep cut across her cheek. She shrieked in pain as the blood trickled down her face, but it was only moments before it sealed itself up and healed.

"Pity you heal so fast, my darling," Klaus breathed. "I could play this game _all night_. You do love to play _games_, don't you, Katerina? _So do I._" He slowly dragged the blade across her face, leaving another trail of blood. "You're lucky, you know. It would be a shame to scar such a pretty face..." He turned towards Stefan. "_But his_, on the other hand, is a pretty face just _begging_ for disfigurement."

"What say you, pretty boy?" Klaus mocked. "Haven't you _ever_ cut yourself whilst shaving? It feels something like this..." Klaus slashed the razor across Stefan's cheek, who groaned in pain and winced while the blood flowed down the side of his face. "Oh dear," Klaus mocked, "that might leave a scar."

"No!" she screamed.

Klaus laughed. "Do you find me sadistic? I think you know me better. We're going to have _so much fun_ together, you and I." He waved the razor like the conductor of an orchestra. "You used to be so clever, Katerina. You were smart to evade me for so long. But _what_ is this _fantasy_ you've been indulging? _What in the world_ were you thinking? Truly, the _lowest_ form of intelligence on this earth is the mind of _a woman in love_," Klaus spat with disdain. "Don't you agree, Mr. Salvatore?" Stefan remained silent until Klaus slashed him hard across the chest, which provoked a violent howl. "Sounds like he agrees with me." Klaus slowly licked the razor and tilted back his head like an experienced wine taster searching for a description of the flavors on his palate. "Sickly sweet, but I can see what you enjoy about him, Katerina."

"What do you want?" Katherine cried.

"I want what I want," Klaus said coldly. "Watching me kill your loved ones should bring back some warm and fuzzy memories for you. Doesn't that sound like fun?" He appeared to admire Katherine's once-clean dress, now stained with blood. "I sure hope you weren't planning on a white wedding... because _red_ suits you much better, my dear," Klaus quipped. He turned back to Stefan. "Contrary to what Katerina may have told you, she is _not..._ how shall we say... _pure_." He slapped Stefan's face. "Are you listening?" Klaus laughed hysterically. "You poor sap. You fell in love with an angel and got quite the opposite! Did you even know her real name?" Klaus laughed again. "These are the kinds of tragedies that make great literature."

"What did I ever do to deserve this?" Katherine cried.

"You were born to die, Katerina. It's _who you are_," Klaus said. "I don't need to explain this to you. You already know your fate as a Petrova doppelganger. It's nothing personal."

Klaus turned his attention back to Stefan. "Now, getting back to our pretty boy here," he muttered. He repeatedly and relentlessly sliced at Stefan's face and chest, swinging the razor around like the conductor of a symphony orchestra. The noise in the room was an awful mix of Stefan's groans of agony, Katherine's screaming protests, and Klaus' diabolical laughter, and it was all like beautiful music to Klaus' ears. "How many razor blade cuts would it take to kill a man?" Klaus proposed. "Isn't anyone keeping count? I suppose _one strong cut_ in _the right place_ would do it. Pity, I just keep missing that target." He laughed maniacally. "But _what am I_ doing all the work for? This should be _your_ _job_, Katerina."

"No!" she cried. "Please..."

Klaus turned to Katherine. "Don't _moan_ about it," he mocked. "You knew very well that he could _never_ have a life with you; that it would only end in _tragedy_. Why are you complaining?" Klaus carefully untied Katherine's hands. "Face me," he said. Katherine looked at the ground. "_Face me_," he demanded, and grabbed her face with one hand and forced her to meet his gaze. Katherine spit right in his eye, but he just laughed and instructed her: "Take this razor..." he compelled her, and put the razor in her hand, "and slash your dear lover until he bleeds no more."

It was a shame that her tears couldn't protect her from being compelled. At least humans under compulsion never knew their actions; a vampire compelled by an original was forced to suffer through the _awareness_ of being controlled against their own will. She suffered immensely while Stefan did, but not once did he struggle or speak a word. He was _already dead_ when they brought him in, she told herself. She knew it wasn't true, but it was all she could hang on to.

Klaus stepped back and watched Katherine flailing in the blood rain that splashed over her face and hands, her once pale dress becoming increasingly stained in deep red.

Her love was a razor. Everyone she ever loved had died. Some things never change.

* * *

**..:postmortem:..**

There once was a church that burned to the ground. Katherine was supposed to die there, but she didn't.

Beneath the church was a tomb. Katherine was supposed to be imprisoned there, but she wasn't.

Fate was a bitch, so she became one too. She kicked fate's ass too many times to count, yet she still found herself in that tomb, so many years later.

Maybe it was a punishment. Maybe it was a reward. Maybe it was doom. Maybe it was the light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe it _just was_.

Katherine opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling of the tomb. After a few moments she adjusted to her surroundings. Then her thoughts went to Stefan, and it all came flashing back: the broken bottles over the head; the stake in her gut; the lacerations and torn flesh; the taste, smell, and sight of blood; her teeth on his lips in her mouth; the lusty blur of violence which balanced on that passionate tightrope between love and hate. She turned her head, resting her cheek against the stone floor. Through blurry vision, she saw Stefan on his back, dreadfully still.

She was old enough to know the signs of desiccation. The exaggerated heartbeat; the excruciating pain of the dryness in her veins; the dulled senses; the weakness, the hunger, the _thirst_. Every muscle and bone ached. Too difficult to get up and walk, she thought, so she rolled. Stefan, being younger and therefore weaker, would have to be in worse shape than she was. Katherine rolled over onto her elbows, clutched, pulled, and dragged herself across the floor that was still wet with their bloodshed. She dragged herself, inch by inch, until she got to Stefan. Her face hovered above his, her long hair brushing against his cheek, while she gently wiped away dirt and dried blood from his brow.

"Stefan? Stefan?" She repeated, at first hushed, then increasingly louder. "Come on, wake up..." she shook him by the shoulders, but he offered no response.

Katherine brought her wrist to her teeth and ripped deep, tearing into her own flesh, hoping to squeeze out a a few more drops of what life she still had left in her veins. Then she carefully placed the wound to Stefan's lips, trickling them with red, until the taste and smell of blood caused him to stir, and he opened his eyes.

Her eyes smiled before her lips did. "Hey, sleepy head," she whispered. "Can you get up?" Probably a stupid question, she thought.

He blinked repeatedly, but offered no answer.

"Stefan?" she repeated. "Say something."

She scanned for some message or semblance of cognition in his vacant eyes, but they were as silent as his tongue. She waited for it, and waited some more, gently parting his lips with her thumb as if creating a path of escape for the words stuck in his throat, until finally, he let out a barely audible warble: "You killed me, Katherine."

It was so unexpected, with so many layers, so many levels, so many messages, so many meanings, and they all scattered and hit her like buckshot from a hunting rifle. There were no answers. There was only the obvious: "I didn't," she said softly. "_Your father_ killed you."

His eyes closed and his chest lifted, drawing in a labored breath. "My father pulled the trigger," Stefan said, "but _you_ killed me."

Her lips pursed; her mouth became small. She had always been the loud one, the witty one, the sarcastic one, the one with the quick retorts, but this one sentence left her both silenced and humbled.

"I wish it could have been different. I wish that more than anything," she finally said, her voice wavering. "Sometimes, I have dreams... I have dreams where things were different..." She choked on the words. "But they never have a happy ending."

Maybe he heard it; maybe he didn't. Maybe it didn't matter. His eyes had closed again. She rested her head on his shoulder, and they both drifted back into delirium.

It was crazy. She never thought she'd end up here. Love makes you do crazy things.


	9. The Hand That Feeds

**WITHIN THESE WALLS**

**CHAPTER 9: THE HAND THAT FEEDS**

* * *

"So this is what it's like to be _dead_."

It really wasn't quite what he expected. Getting shot was awful, but the pain quickly subsided to a mere tingling, and before long, everything became soothingly detached and decidedly calm. While at first there was darkness, he soon could see the stars and the moon through his eyelids, and the strangely dislocated sensation of his own body laying in the dirt, his white shirt covered with blood, and Damon's body not far from his own, and the night had become very still, and very quiet, if not for the sound of a carriage in the distance and quickly approaching footsteps.

Through the clearing, she ran, her delicate fingers holding up her billowing skirt so as not to trip over it. He could see her leaning over his still body, and how she gently brushed at his face with her hands. If his heart had not already stopped, it would have skipped a beat.

It was Katherine. She came back. She came back _for him_.

"I love you, Stefan," she said. "We'll be together again. _I promise._"

She kissed him on the lips, once, tenderly, _as if_ for the last time, and how he wished that he could have _felt it_, but he couldn't. Not in his state. He wished more than anything that he could have spoken, or moved, or reached out with his useless arms that so desperately wanted to hold her again, but couldn't. _Not yet_, the gentle breeze whispered_. _And so she left, only comforted by the thought that he would breathe again, and he remained there in the awful loneliness of clinging to his own body, anchored to earth by the blood in his veins which was _hers_.

It was strange. Dying didn't hurt so much. Losing her hurt more.

* * *

Katherine sat alone, her pale and weakened form huddled against the rough rock near the tomb gate as she hugged an empty camping bag. She sat amidst the chocolate chip cookie crumbs that she had scattered about on the ground, upon finding the stale cookies tucked away in one of the pockets of the camping bag. Maybe it was a _stupid_ idea, but it was better than _nothing_, she thought. If there was no luck by sundown, she would return to Stefan, _if_ she still had the strength to walk. There was a very real and scary possibility that she might not.

It seemed like Damon hadn't been there for days, but that couldn't be right. Or could it? She wasn't quite sure anymore. The only thing she could count on about Damon was that he usually arrived at the _wrong_ times. She wondered if she might have to wait there until he finally showed up. Otherwise, she thought she might end up collapsing inside the tomb, Damon would have to send a search party in, most likely armed to kill, and she might not make it out alive.

She stared at the ground as the day went on, watching, waiting, her eyelids periodically growing heavy and closing, only to catch herself falling asleep. And then, after so many hours, as the sunlight finished its sweep across the ground, finally, _finally_ _something happened_. There was a dreamy, languid fluttering sound that snapped her out of her drowsy state, and she carefully opened her eyes to see the lonesome pigeon pecking along at the cookie crumbs. Katherine remained perfectly still and watched as the painfully slow pigeon followed her trail, each crumb leading the bird further in and _closer_, until it finally crossed the invisible barrier and entered the tomb. With a burst of speed, Katherine lunged, caught and smothered the bird inside the empty bag, threw her weight upon the animal, and crushed it to death. She could hardly believe that her _Hail Mary_ of a plan actually _worked_. Katherine stumbled back into the tomb, carrying her prize with a sense of pride in what she had accomplished.

* * *

"Stefan..." Katherine's voice was a mere husky whisper. "Can you hear me?"

With a sudden breath and intake of air, Stefan opened his sore eyes and looked upon her beautiful dirty and blood stained face, hovering above his. She was startled when he pulled her down into his embrace.

"I was afraid..." he sighed.

"It's alright," Katherine soothed him.

"I was afraid I'd lost you..." Stefan sighed.

"Okay, now I know _for sure_ that you're delirious," Katherine said.

"No..." Stefan shook his head. "I've never had as much clarity as I do right now... Katherine... I..." he trailed off, just before his eyes closed and his arms went limp again.

"Stefan?" Katherine nudged him, but he was unresponsive. "Don't worry, I'll get you back on your feet and hating me in no time. I brought you a gift..." She reached into the canvas bag and pulled out the dead pigeon. "I don't know if its your favorite breed, but beggars can't be choosers, right?" She kept talking even though Stefan was out cold. With an icky frown, she held the dead bird to Stefan's mouth. "Come on, Stefan! _Bite it!_" she urged, but he didn't move. "Damn it! Stefan, please don't make me do this..." She pushed the bird down harder onto his lips, but he still didn't respond. Finally, in desperation, she lifted the bird to her own mouth and pierced its fat belly with her fangs. Once the awfully bitter tasting blood began to flow, she shoved the bird back onto Stefan's mouth and _squeezed_. And _finally_, Stefan began to drink. "This is _so gross_," Katherine muttered in disgust. "I can't even _think_ about kissing you for a while after this... don't say I never do nice things for you, Stefan." Stefan began to stir, the color returning to his face, finally showing signs of life again. She made him feed on the bird until it had been completely bled dry, then she let it fall to the floor. By that point, Stefan had opened his eyes and saw her hovering over him. Her face, although soiled, was perhaps even more beautiful than he remembered.

"What happened?" Stefan groaned. His eyes darted around as if he wasn't quite sure where he was.

"We lost a lot of blood," Katherine explained, her voice raspy and hoarse. "You've been out of it for a while."

Stefan reached out and touched her pale, blood stained face with sadness and horror. "You're hurt. Who did this to you?"

"You did," Katherine said. "Don't you remember?"

He shook his head in an expression of sadness and confusion. "No..." The broken and jarring images of violence began to flash in his mind, but he didn't want to accept them. He didn't want to believe that he was capable of doing _that_, especially to her. She watched the clarity return to his eyes after he rubbed them. "I didn't mean to hurt you," Stefan said groggily.

She smiled. "Yes, you did. You most definitely _did_."

"How did you get it?" he asked, indicating the dead bird on the floor.

"Patience, speed, agility... and cookie crumbs," Katherine said with a cute smile.

"I can't believe you would do that for me after what I did," Stefan said. The memories started to come back in a steady stream.

"I might be a psychotic bitch, but I can't be a heartless one... not with you," Katherine said. "Can you get up now?"

"I think so," Stefan groaned and sat up, while she did the opposite, and collapsed onto the floor. He immediately tried to pick her up, but she refused his assistance.

"I'm _fine_," she groaned.

"No, you're _not_," Stefan said. "Let me help you."

He bent down and scooped her up into his arms, and he got a better look at her than when he had just woken up. Her condition was sickly, and she was getting weaker. He thought she looked like she had been in a rodeo; her skin color was pallid, her dress torn, her face covered with dirt and dried blood. The sight of her in such a dreadful state made his heart sink with sorrow, and knowing that _he caused it_ made the feeling almost unbearable.

He carried her over to the alcove where she often slept. She didn't make a sound. She had often dreamed about being carried by Stefan like that. As he set her frail form down on the soft camping mat, he cursed himself for being so stubborn, for the whole blood starvation idea, when they could have both fed and this whole mess might have never happened. Now, he was stuck waiting and hoping for Damon to arrive at some unknown time with some fresh blood so they could finally _both_ slake their terrible thirsts.

Her hand latched onto his forearm and squeezed. "Don't..." she pleaded, looking up at him, "please don't leave me."

"I won't," he assured her.

"So cold," she said, her voice gravelly and strained. Stefan found the lone blanket and draped it over her, tucking her away until she was nothing more than a head sticking out from under the beige quilt.

A single question had been gnawing away at his mind that just couldn't wait any longer: "Why did you help me, after what I did?"

Katherine looked up at him with her dark eyes and her lips slowly found their way into the shape of a pained smile. "Did you _really_ think you could stop me?"

Stefan shook his head in confusion. "I don't understand... what do you mean, _stop you_?"

"You can blame me for every ill, Stefan..." Her voice went raspy. "You can hate me, insult me, break my bones, cut me up, tear my flesh, bleed me white... but it'll never stop my love for you." Stefan nearly buckled under the weight of her words. He found himself desperately needing to turn away. He quickly reached for the bag of supplies, from which he pulled out a bottle of water and a clean towel, and he proceeded to clean his face and hands. It was a convenient opportunity to cover up and hide the fact that he was so visibly shaken. "Sorry to disappoint you," she groaned. "I just don't give up that easily."

"But why didn't you take some blood for yourself?" Stefan finally asked.

"There was so little. You needed it more," Katherine groaned. "Besides, it was far _too gross_ for me."

Stefan knelt beside her, pulled up his sleeve, and placed his wrist in front of her mouth. "Then take some of mine..." He waited for the sting of her fangs to plunge into his flesh. He waited, but it didn't happen. Instead, she pushed his arm away.

"I don't need it," Katherine said.

"Of course you do," Stefan said.

"I don't need your_ pity_," Katherine said gruffly.

"I don't understand," Stefan said. He couldn't imagine why she would refuse, especially when she was in such pain. It just didn't make sense. "I'm just trying to help you."

"Why?" she asked.

"I attacked you. I'm responsible for this. And you helped me," Stefan said.

"Wrong answer," Katherine said bluntly.

"But you're in pain," Stefan said. He still couldn't figure out why she was being so difficult.

"It's alright. It reminds me that I can still _feel something_... reminds me that I'm still alive," Katherine sighed.

"I can't stand to watch you suffer, especially knowing that I've caused it," Stefan said with tender remorse.

"Not too long ago you said you _wanted_ to watch me suffer," Katherine jabbed. "Aren't you _enjoying_ the show?"

"No," he said. "It brings me no joy to see you like this. I thought it might... but it doesn't."

He moistened another towel, and began to dab with it at her face. Her defiant nature wanted to pull away, but she was weak and his caring touch felt so good after all she'd been through. "Why are you doing that?" she just had to ask.

"You're a dirty girl," he said jokingly.

"But I thought you _liked_ that about me," she teased.

Pushing her hair back, he gently began to clean her face, removing the mixture dried blood and dirt, and taking along with it the remnants of her makeup. He watched as it all came off, and saw how she was transformed, how she _softened_ before his very eyes, and it conveyed meaning, and he finally began to pay attention. He saw past the surface and recognized what she was beneath it all. And he began to realize that the girl he called an angel, the one he had professed his love to in 1864, was _not_ a lie or an act like he led himself to believe, but that angel was in fact a _very real_ part of her that had just remained buried for too long.

"Another blanket, please?" Katherine asked.

"That's the only one we've got," Stefan reminded her.

"So cold..." her voice shook as she shivered beneath the blanket.

Swallowing his pride, Stefan laid down beside her, cradled her curled body close, warmed her, and sheltered her from the dreadful chilliness of the tomb. "Better?"

A sly smile crossed her frigid lips. "_So much better_," she said with a languid drawl. "Keep treating me like this, and I might not even need the blood after all."

"You'll get it. As soon as Damon shows up," Stefan said reassuringly.

"Who knows how long that will take," Katherine said. "I don't even know how long we've been in here anymore. Do you?"

"I'm not sure anymore." Stefan sighed. "It's my fault. I should never have put us in this position. That was incredibly stupid of me," he said apologetically.

"You're really going to feed me? Doesn't that break your rules?" Katherine asked.

"I think we're past all of that now," Stefan said.

"What's changed?" she asked.

"Everything," he said.

"_Everything_?" Her voice strained.

"Please... take just a little of my blood," Stefan pleaded. "I can't stand to see you suffering."

"Because you _care_?" she asked slowly and deliberately. "Or, do you only care about clearing your own conscience?"

Suddenly, all of her stubbornness _finally_ made sense. She suspected his motives were selfish, so she called him out on it, and she _challenged_ him. She challenged him to _care about her_ once again, if he _dared_. She wouldn't _allow_ him to help her unless he truly _cared_. The gauntlet had been thrown, but what she didn't know was that the match was already over before it ever begun. Stefan _cared_. He cared about _her_. He was just an expert in hiding it. Even after all of the things she had done, he still cared about her_._ And, given the circumstances, he could find _little else_ to care about _besides_ her.

Stefan reached his arm around and his wrist fell over her lips one more time. "_I care_," he said quietly. He waited. He took three breaths, and then he felt the quick sting of her fangs, followed by the sensual pull of her warm mouth drawing out a small allowance of his blood. When she was done, some of the sparkle returned to her eyes, and her voice strengthened.

"You know, Stefan," she said, settling into his arms, "this hardly seems like _hate_ anymore."


	10. Dark Secrets

**WITHIN THESE WALLS**

**CHAPTER 10: DARK SECRETS**

* * *

He once called the tomb a prison; but in the end, it was where he finally became free.

Stefan trotted steadily back into the darkness of the inner chamber, carrying one choice in his right hand, and another in his left.

Dealing with Damon proved to be difficult, as expected. There was a heated argument, but Stefan held his ground. In the end, Damon relented and handed Stefan two options. Two paths, leading to two outcomes. The decision was to be Stefan's. The repercussions and responsibilities were on him.

It had been such a long night. Katherine slept, but Stefan didn't. He watched her through the night with a solitary lamp kept by her bedside. He had knelt over her weary but peacefully sleeping body and with a flick of his hand, brushed her hair away from her eyelids and back behind her ear. He stayed there with her. He didn't have to do it, but she asked him to, and so he did. It took his every concentrated effort not to shake her by the shoulders and wake her up and just unload everything he needed to say; everything that was bubbling up from his mind and heart like dams that were just waiting to burst. He felt like he ended up in here for a reason, and maybe he could finally cleanse himself, finally unburden himself of all the weight he had been carrying for nearly a century and a half. He didn't care at all how the garbled outpouring would sound. It would probably sound crazy and unfocused, but it didn't matter. No one else would ever hear it, except for her and the tomb walls. He didn't even care how she would react. _It didn't matter._ She would probably laugh at him. So much the better. He didn't mind being laughed at, because he had been a _fool_ for so long.

A fool with a past.

A fool with a secret. A dark secret. An _obsession_.

_Katherine._

It began from the moment he first laid eyes on her, when she stepped out of the carriage in front of the old plantation back in 1864. Damon's words still echoed in his mind: "That's a girl who wants to be chased." And so Stefan took the brotherly advice. Katherine ran, and Stefan chased her, and soon enough he didn't care that he was hurting his brother; all he knew was that _he wanted her_. He couldn't help it, and he couldn't stop himself because after the Founder's ball, when he took her upstairs and his cotton gloved hand grazed her face, he knew he was in love.

"_I look at you, and I see an angel. I touch your skin, and my entire body ignites. I kiss you, and I know that I'm falling in love."_

But it turned out that she _wasn't_ an angel; at least not by his concept of one. Quite the opposite. Of course, it ended in tears. He tried to save her, but failed. He came back, but she didn't. She was gone and he was left only with his brother; a relationship that was already broken and would continue to degrade into his promised _eternity of misery_. But it didn't matter that Katherine was out of the picture. Stefan's obsession had already taken root and strangled his soul like an invasive, quick-growing vine.

Stefan's obsession with Katherine was very different than Damon's. Damon's longing for her was obvious, whereas Stefan's was kept secret. She was dead, or so he believed. Yet somehow, she was _always there_. Katherine _haunted_ Stefan. He told himself he shouldn't still be grieving for her years and decades later. He told himself she didn't _deserve_ his grief; she didn't _deserve_ love; and that she was _incapable_ of love. After all she had done, how could he still miss her? How could he still feel guilty for her death? But he _did_ miss her and he _did_ feel guilty, and that caused him such conflict and suffering that he was practically _crippled by her loss_ even decades later. Maybe that was to be expected, he thought. Every sense and every feeling becomes amplified as a vampire. Maybe the grief just _accumulates_ in the immortal life, without end. It was a horrible thought.

Katherine _haunted_ Stefan. She hurt him. She tormented him. She was always in his blood, pumping through his veins with every heartbeat, reminding him that he was no longer human, and that she _made him_ that way, and it was slowly driving him mad. In fleeting glimpses, he would see her face in public. He would see her again when he wrote in his journal and her picture slipped out from the leather bound book, and he would see her again when he closed his eyes at night. He felt her pulse every single time he tasted blood. He couldn't cleanse himself of her even if he wanted to. But he _didn't_ want to. Not quite. He wanted _her_. He _desired her_ along with all of the madness she brought, because he loved her... and he _hated_ himself for it.

He loved her.

He gave her everything, but she took even more.

She tore his world apart left him abandoned, undead, and out of control.

He danced on the ledge of madness and reveled in his basest, most animalistic urges. He spent years _ripping_ out the throats of innocent villagers; gorging himself on the warm, sweet blood; lacerating his way through an endless supply of human victims to indulge his unquenchable thirst. He imagined those girls were _her_ when he tore into their flesh. He blamed her for it. He blamed her for _all_ of it. But it was all lies; all _excuses_. Excuses were the easy way out, and Stefan always chose the easy path, even if it meant lying to himself. The path of denial was so much easier than facing up to the difficult truths that seemed so irrational.

And it _was_ irrational that he could still have feelings for the one person who he believed had caused him the most damage.

_Katherine._

* * *

The night that Stefan rescued Elena from the car accident, when he dragged her unconscious body out of the water and stared in disbelief at the perfect resemblance her cold, wet face bore, his own life came to a screeching halt just like the aforementioned vehicle. Of course, he investigated, and soon learned that _she was not Katherine_, but at that point, it no longer mattered. It didn't matter who she was or wasn't, because his obsession had taken on a new focal point. Now, his obsession had _a new face _that was the very same one; but this time, a real, live, and very _human_ face. And from that point on, it was this perfect, human simulacra of Katherine who haunted his dreams and kept him awake at night, tossing, turning, forcing him to get up and pour himself some scotch and start writing again. _Elena._ He mouthed the new girl's name while he sat by the glow of the desk lamp and ran his fingers over the old tintype photograph of _Katherine 1864_. He looked at Katherine and he repeated the name _Elena_ over and over in his mind, and he wondered what it would be like to be next to her, touch her, smell her, kiss her, taste her, make love to her; would it all feel the same as it did with Katherine? Would it conjure up those memories? Could he recapture those same old feelings, and relive those experiences? He had to find out. He was _determined_ to find out. The intrigue was too tempting; the longing pangs brought so much ache; the obsession was too powerful. It was Stefan's obsession that led him to abandon his better judgement and pursue Elena. And so he stayed in Mystic Falls. He came out of the shadows. He learned her background, he learned her schedule, he followed her around town, he enrolled in her school, and he even watched her as she sat perched in the window of her home. He planned and prepared _all the right things_ to say for when he would eventually meet her. _He knew the risk, but he had to know her._

And _know her_, he did.

The fantasy was wonderful. Not only that, but Elena was a wonderful person. She projected many admirable qualities that resonated with Stefan. And before long, Stefan found himself falling in love with Elena for who she was, rather than who she looked like. Elena wasn't a _replacement_ for Katherine, but she was most certainly a _reminder_ of Katherine, which posed another problem; a problem of _honesty_. Stefan knew very well that he could never be fully honest with Elena. He couldn't tell her the truth of how Katherine haunted him for nearly a century and a half. He couldn't tell her the truth of how his obsession for Katherine had driven him to Elena's doorstep. He couldn't tell her the truth that he watched her every move and practiced the right things to say so that she would find him intriguing, compatible, and attractive. He couldn't look Elena in the eyes and tell her the truth; that every time he looked at her, he _also_ saw Katherine. He couldn't tell her the truth that it was _impossible_ to completely separate the two; that Elena would always remind him of Katherine, and therefore in some sense, _Katherine would always be there,_ wedged between the two of them, haunting Stefan, and mocking him. Elena would never be able to handle that, and though she suspected something of the sort, she never persisted in confronting Stefan about it; perhaps because she feared the answer.

And so the dark secrets remained obscured, with Elena _inside_ of it all.

Elena was all twisted up and tied together with Katherine, like a ball of string that Stefan could never untangle.

Even though Stefan knew he was a danger to Elena; even though he admitted that his blood lust could get the best of him at any moment and he could wind up hurting or even killing her, he _couldn't_ walk away. Elena filled a role in his hollow shell of a life. She made him feel alive again, and above all, made him feel _human_ again, and he became _addicted_ to that feeling. He was dependent on Elena like a drug that made him forget what he really was. He _needed_ Elena.

Things just seemed _simple_ with Elena.

Things were simple like when he was still human. That's all he really wanted. He didn't want it to change.

Everything changes.

When he heard the news that Katherine was still alive in the tomb, it was like the early tremors of an earthquake shaking and threatening to destroy the home he had been building with Elena. While part of him didn't ever want to see Katherine again, another part wanted to charge right into that tomb himself, smash through those walls and bring her back; every bit as determined as Damon, every bit as determined to save her as he was in 1864. As it turned out, it _didn't matter_ what Stefan wanted, because Damon was so steadfast on getting into that tomb that Stefan was able to feign indifference about Katherine. It didn't matter _who_ got her out, as long as she did get out. When it turned out that Katherine wasn't in the tomb, Stefan was relieved that he wouldn't have that extra complication she would bring; yet that other part of him yearned to see her again so badly, in spite of what Elena or Damon would think.

And then, like a poker stabbed through the stomach, Katherine came back from the dead. And she said she came back _for him_. Double stab. It threw him for a loop, but he clung to his denial and anger. He told her he didn't love her. He told her he never loved her. He told her he _hated_ her. She never believed it for a second. And when she slowly began to break down those walls of denial, Stefan began to doubt himself again. He had told himself so many times that their love wasn't real; he repeated it so much that he actually believed it. He even tried to convince Damon of the same thing.

One afternoon with Katherine was all it took. That fortress he built up around himself started to crumble; the roof collapsed, and the foundation shook.

It was inevitable. A house built on lies cannot last.

He had her in the basement, her hands and feet bound to the chair. And when she threatened to kill Elena, that was Stefan's cue to kill Katherine. That was his cue to end it once and for all. But it wasn't that simple. His hand shook with the violence that threatened to burst forth as he gripped the stake with such force that if it were made of a softer wood, it surely would have been crushed in his palm. She was helpless, but with one look, she disarmed him in spite of his anger and frustration.

That was his chance. He didn't take it, just like she knew he wouldn't.

He was caught between the two of them, and he couldn't choose. But the act of _not_ making a choice is still a choice.

He made his choice without realizing it.

* * *

Stefan stepped up to the black wrought-iron gate. He had reached the crossroads. He checked himself at the door one last time, because he knew that if he were to do this, there would be no turning back. To turn back would be the easy way out; the way he had gone too many times before. But _easy_ in the short term became _overbearing_ in the long term. This time had to be different. He had to go forward. Freedom was waiting, just around the corner.

Katherine was _right_ about so many things. Being locked in the tomb was a great gift. The best gift he could have given himself. Because he finally realized that anything he were to say or do would remain within these walls forever, and there was a certain beauty in that. No expectations. No limitations. _No rules._ Nothing to live up to. Nothing to hide from. His sacrifice truly had been rewarded, he just didn't know it until now. There was only one thing left to do in order to truly be free from his demons; he had to face them. And that meant facing Katherine. But this time, there would be no running away, and no sarcasm to hide behind; just truth.

Stefan looked down at his hands. In his right hand, he held a wooden stake; the hardwood carved to a razor sharp point. It would bring her a quick death without too much suffering. It was a sure thing; she was weak enough that she couldn't defend herself from it. But then there was the blood bag in his left hand; the dark crimson liquid squishing around inside the clear plastic. It would bring her back to life.

He owned his choice, and he accepted the responsibility that came with it.

The ringing echo of the stake hitting the floor was almost musical.

Stefan punched the surgical tube into the bag, shoved his way through the gate, and knelt by her bedside. She shifted her head on the pillow and opened her eyes as her lips pursed readily around the tube, and he watched her come back to life; the color returning to her face, the gleam back in her eyes with renewed vibrance, reflecting the soft glow of candlelight. Their eyes locked as she fed and for the first time, he didn't look away; it was as if he _wanted_ to see it all and recognize that particular moment, like it was too important to lose, because _it was_. The empty bag fell to the ground with a squish, and her tongue darted out to lick the stray drops from her bottom lip.

"You know you shouldn't have done that," Katherine said, her brown eyes angling down towards the empty blood bag on the ground.

"But I _did_," he replied, nodding from the predictability of it all. He just _knew_ the first words out of her mouth would be something snippy like that.

"You're going to regret it," she said coldly.

"Maybe." He nodded.

"You accept that," she said, not as a question, but as a statement of the obvious.

"Yes."

"I'll make you regret it," she said ominously.

"Don't," he said softly.

"That's just who I am," she said.

"It doesn't have to be," he said. The response must have affected her, because her countenance softened.

"Damon didn't want you to do it," she said knowingly.

"It's not his decision to make. It's mine," Stefan said.

"So you fought for it," she went on.

"I fought for it," he repeated.

"You fought for _me_," she said.

"I fought for you, Katherine."

"You should have killed me," she said quietly.

"He wanted me to kill you," he said.

"You don't have the _spine_," Katherine snarled.

"It wouldn't change _anything_." Stefan shook his head.

"You don't have the _guts_," Katherine spat venomously.

"It wouldn't _solve_ anything." Stefan shook his head.

"Because I've already been dead..." she began.

"And you haunt me." He finished.

"I'll _always_ haunt you," she said.

"Always."

"You'll never be rid of me," she said.

"Never."

"You said you'd love me forever," she said.

"Forever."

"I said that forever is a very long time," she said.

"You were right."

"You should have killed me... _to protect Elena_," Katherine taunted.

"I should have... but I didn't," he said.

"Why didn't you?" she prodded.

"Because..."

"You're weak!" she snarled.

"No."

"You failed!" she snapped.

"No!"

"No. You _wanted_ to fail," she snapped. "Why?"

"I..."

"_Why_ didn't you kill me?" she persisted.

"I couldn't."

"Not even for your _precious_ Elena?" she snarled.

"I _couldn't!_" he snapped.

"You couldn't _then_, and you can't _now_."

"I can't." He conceded.

"And at the masquerade..." she prompted.

"All I could think of was that I didn't want you to die," he quietly confessed.

"You didn't come back to town _for Elena_. You came back..." she trailed off.

"To fall in love with you all over again."

"You made a choice just now," she said.

"The choice was already made..." he began.

"You just didn't realize it." She finished.

"I just didn't realize it."

"You know what this means, don't you?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Well then?" she prompted.

"Why ask? You already know everything I'm going to think, say, or do..."

"Does that surprise you?"

Words became useless.

The tomb fell into silence as he brought two fingers beneath her chin, tilted her head up, and kissed her again for the very first time. Just like he remembered, and just like she knew it would be.

Just like it was meant to be, because it _was_.


End file.
